Seven plus one
by Sea Queen - JoKessho
Summary: The story of Snow White, except it's nothing like Snow White—apart from maybe that bit with the seven misfits living together (i.e. Yamato runs away from home and starts living with Taichi's "gang"). Taiyama will happen, Jyoura, Meimi, slight Koukari
1. Chapter 1

**OTP week 2017  
Pairing**: Taichi and Yamato (Taiyama)  
 **Prompt** : Disney AU  
 **Warning:** Contains hetero pairings, so if that makes you uncomfortable, please turn away ;P

A/N: Don't know if I'll leave this as a one-shot or continue… If I do decide to continue, updates will be sparse.

-o-o-o-o-o-

A blond, 17-year old boy slammed the door to his room—if you could call it his room. It was just a computer room with a futon rolled up in the corner.

He ran his hands over his face, then pressed the heels into his closed eyelids. He took three of his planned ten deep breaths before the door was slammed open.

"How dare you walk out on me and even have the nerve to slam the door? Didn't that father of yours teach you any manners? I'm your mother and I took you in! You need to start showing me some respect."

Yamato Ishida dropped his hands, blue eyes scathing. "Show _you_ some respect? I'll start showing you respect when you start treating me like a human being."

Natsuko Takaishi glared at her son from the doorway, ready with a list of all the ways Yamato was disrespecting her and being an ungrateful brat.

"Mum…" Came a new voice from the hallway. "Come back to the dining room, please. Yamato, you as well, please. You spent so long on that dinner. It'll get cold."

"Let it." Was Natsuko's blunt reply. She eyed Yamato for a few more seconds before turning her attention to the younger male, Takeru. "It's pointless to try eating it, when it's not even edible. Come on." She put a hand on his shoulder turning him away from the computer room. She threw a nasty look over her shoulder. "Let's go out for dinner; we can't eat that… gunk."

Takeru's blue eyes looked up innocently. "I think it tastes good."

"Let's go." A firm command.

Takeru threw his brother an apologetic look, but let his mother lead him away.

Yamato stayed stone still, waiting. As soon as he heard the door close, his legs gave out. He was left kneeling on the ground on all fours, fighting back tears.

How dare she?

It hadn't even been a week since…

He put a hand over his mouth.

How _dare_ she?

He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, giving the final battle against his tears his all.

With a deep breath, he stood abruptly, and went over to the corner with the futon. He grabbed his duffle bag, emptying the last miscellaneous items from the bottom of it. Then he started re-packing, taking only the bare necessities.

He didn't want to be here. He was almost done with high school anyway. He wouldn't drop out, no, but he didn't have to keep going from _this_ place.

Half an hour later Yamato was ready—or as ready as one could be on such short notice for such a large, life-changing decision.

The door closed firmly behind him. He'd left his keys inside, but no note.

-o-o-o-

Jou Kido sighed in relief as his shift ended for the evening. He walked down the hall at the back of Arby's fast food restaurant. He pulled off his red apron and grinned in greeting at his co-workers who were starting their shifts.

He always took his time getting changed; his work had showers, which he made full use of. It's not like he didn't have a shower at home, but he felt bad for using so much water there. Water was expensive. It's not like they were poor; they were quite well off, but there _were_ seven of them under the same roof and not everyone had a job. Groceries and electricity were also quite costly.

Finishing his shower, Jou made quick work of getting his casual clothes on. They were nothing special: just a t-shirt and some khaki trousers.

Jou paused at the exit. Would that boy be at the playground again? He shook his head; it wasn't any of his business.

He walked out, heading his usual way home.

The sky was overcast. It had been threatening to rain all day, but it seemed now that the sun was setting, the clouds would see their threat through.

He passed by the playground. The boy was there, in his usual spot under the slide. It probably wouldn't offer too much protection from the rain…

 _Just keep walking_. He told himself, shutting his eyes briefly and shaking his head. _Just keep walking; we don't need any more mouths to feed._

He glanced at the boy, who was sleeping in his usual black t-shirt and college trousers. With a heavy sigh, he set one foot in front of the other and started walking—right up to the kid.

"Hey." Jou crouched down and frowned.

The person under the slide wasn't as small as he had appeared from the distance. In fact, he seemed only a few years younger than the 21-year-old Arby's worker.

"Hey." Jou repeated, reaching out to gently prod the young man.

There was no response, so he tried again. Still nothing.

"Hey." Jou grabbed his shoulder, shaking him quite aggressively. "Hey, wake up."

Jou closed his eyes in a silent prayer; he knew he should have left the whole thing well enough alone. Now he was responsible for informing the police of a body in the playground… Why hadn't he just gone straight home?

There was a small groan.

Okay, so maybe he had exaggerated a bit.

"Hey, you alright?" Jou tried again.

Another small groan was his only response.

Frowning, Jou pulled on the shoulder, turning the male onto his back. The face was too pale, yet flushed red. He was sick.

With a muttered: "Why me?" Jou started extracting the man from under the slide. He seemed to be light, but, even so, Jou knew he couldn't carry the man home by himself.

With the man out from under the slide, Jou pulled off his backpack and dug out his mobile phone. He only used it for emergencies as it was an unnecessary sink for money. He speed-dialled two.

He listened to the beeping thrice, before it was picked up.

"Taichi?" Jou asked, not waiting for a reply. "You need to come to the playground, I found someone and he's not doing so well. I need help getting him home."

"Say what?"

"Just come and I'll explain." Jou hung up. Stupid Taichi wasting his money on pointless chatter.

Whilst waiting, Jou inspected the other man. He was blond—dyed?—and quite lanky in frame. He looked like he had lost a significant amount of weight in a short period of time. Maybe he was anorexic? Or had some medical condition. Jou hoped it wasn't cancer…

"Jou!"

The blue-haired male looked up at the approaching brunet.

"That was quick."

Taichi gave him a weird look. "We don't live _that_ far. Besides," He gave a shrug. "I took the shortcut."

Dark eyes widened. "There's a shortcut? Why haven't you mentioned this before?"

Taichi frowned, attention turning to the silent male on the ground. He cocked his head. "Who's he?"

Jou also looked down, brushing a stray bit of hair out of the man's face. "I have no idea, but he's been sleeping in the park for about a week now. He's sick and I can't get him to wake up. We need to get him to ours."

Nodding firmly, Taichi kneeled, looping an arm under the blond's legs, the other arm going under his back. He rose with little difficulty, surprising himself.

"He's not very heavy, is he?"

Jou shouldered his bag again. "No, he might have been on the streets for a few weeks, not eating properly. That, or he has an eating disorder or is chronically ill."

Taichi gave Jou an amused glance. "Are you sure you failed your medical school exams? 'Cause it sounds to me like you know your shit."

Jou frowned. "I'm sure."

Taking the hint, Taichi stayed silent. Even after three years, Jou was still not over his failure. Hence, the walk home—via the shortcut—was spent in silence.

"Get him into bed." Jou commanded, as soon as they had entered their house. "I'll bring the first aid kit."

Nodding, Taichi headed for his room. They didn't have spare beds and Taichi was sure that Jou and Sora would not want the impromptu guest in theirs.

The man still in his arms, Taichi pushed his bedroom door open with a foot. The room itself was quite bare: a desk, patio chair, dresser, and bed. The bed was king-sized, with a double-sized mattress. It wasn't ideal, but it was a place to sleep.

Taichi laid the stranger on the bed, stepping back to stand by the door, arms crossed.

Jou walked into the room and spent ten minutes looking the stranger over, before declaring there was nothing he could actually do for the blond until he woke up.

"Thanks, Jou." Taichi let his arms drop to his sides and walked over to slap a hand on Jou's shoulder. "I can look after him now. You can go rest and I'll let you know when he wakes up."

Jou pushed up his glasses. "Yeah, thanks." He grabbed the first aid kit and left the room.

Taichi released a breath, turning his gaze onto their guest. He decided against the uncomfortable chair and sat, instead, on the edge of the bed.

The blond looked about his age and height. That was as far as their outer-appearance similarities went; otherwise they looked to be polar opposites. Taichi's hair was brown and thick, sticking up in all possible—and even seemingly impossible—directions. In contrast, the other's hair was light blond and silky to the touch. Taichi knew because he was running his fingers through it.

A knock at the door interrupted Taichi's inspection.

"Yes?"

"Taichi?" A young girl with short, light brown hair poked her head in. "Jou told us that you two brought someone home."

"Hikari." Taichi acknowledged. "Yeah. Come on in."

"Come on." Hikari encouraged behind her, as she stepped further in. "It's fine, it's safe."

A rusty-haired boy, about Hikari's height, edged into the room after the girl. He was holding her hand with both of his.

Taichi smiled at Koushiro, motioning with his hand to invite him further in. He did so, hesitantly.

"That's him?" Hikari asked, cocking her head at the man lying in the bed.

"Yeah." Taichi repeated.

Koushiro tugged on Hikari's hand, drawing her attention to him. He whispered something into her ear and she shook her head in response.

"No, I don't think he'll hurt us." She glanced at her older brother. "Right, Taichi?"

Taichi nodded with a reassuring smile. "No, he won't hurt us, I promise."

Satisfied with the answer, Koushiro tugged at Hikari's hand again, though this time to pull her towards the door.

The small girl gave an affirmative nod and turned to her brother. "Right, we're going to go back to what we were doing. We'll see you at dinner."

Taichi nodded and watched the pair leave, then he returned to his observations. Not that there was much he _could_ tell about the man. The blanket was covering most of his frame; only leaving his head exposed.

Taichi wondered what his eyes would look like. Would they be as exotic as his hair? Or did he dye his hair? It didn't look dyed, but maybe he was just that good. Although… Taichi frowned. Even if he was good at covering up the root growth, he would not have been able to do so whilst living on the streets like he obviously had been.

Yeah, Taichi decided, the hair wasn't dyed, since the man had blue eyes to match the exot—wait!

Taichi jumped onto the bed on all fours.

"You're awake!"

The blond cringed at the volume, brows staying furrowed, as he tried to figure out who the other man was.

"I'll get Jou." Taichi informed, making to get up.

"—t."

The brunet paused, one leg off the bed, eyeing the blond curiously.

The blond cleared his throat, or attempted to. He tried speaking again, croaking out: "Wait."

"But I need to get Jou so he can have a look at you."

"…who?"

Then Taichi realised that the blond probably had no idea what was going on. He shook his head at his stupidity.

"Sorry." He sat properly on the bed again, smiling comfortingly. "I'm Taichi, and my friend, Jou, found you in the playground. You're sick. He's—Jou's—a doctor, kind of, so he wants to have a look at you and make sure you're okay."

"Ah."

Taichi took that as permission to get the older male.

Not a minute later, Jou was rushing in with Taichi in tow. The latter, again, settled by the door, leaning into the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Jou paused a foot from the bed. "Hi."

"Hey." The stranger replied, eyeing the newcomer. He still wasn't sure where he was or what he was doing there. The brunet's explanation hadn't been very clear to his muddled brain.

"How are you feeling?"

Blue eyes stared, their owner not sure how to go about answering that question. It was clear that he wasn't fine, but what was he feeling? How was he feeling? He wasn't sure.

Jou smiled. "Sorry, let's start with: What's your name? I'm Jou and that's Taichi." He pointed over his shoulder.

"I already told him." Taichi pouted.

"Really?" Jou turned to the brunet. "That's surprising, seeing as you always forget to tell people the basic facts."

Taichi had no comeback, so he just stuck his tongue out. Jou chuckled at the response and turned his attention back to the male.

"Yamato." Yamato mumbled.

"Yamato?" Jou confirmed, receiving a nod. "Great. Now I need to take your temperature. Do you want a drink?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned to Taichi, giving him a meaningful glance.

Taichi acknowledged the look with a nod and left the room.

"How long have you been on the streets?" Jou asked, pulling the blanket down, preparing to take Yamato's temperature.

"What day is it?" Yamato asked back.

"Tuesday."

"Oh." Yamato let Jou pull his shirt up and shove the thermometer under his arm. "I didn't miss school, then. I thought…"

Jou frowned, curious about Yamato's train of thought. "You still go to school?"

"Huh?" Yamato's eyes snapped back to attention, though Jou could see they were slightly glazed with fever.

"School, you still go?"

"Oh, yeah, I go. I'm in my final year."

Taichi walked back into the room with a glass of water. He handed it to Yamato, who took it gratefully.

Jou waited until Yamato had downed the water before speaking up again, relieved: "We thought you lived on the streets. I work at the burger place near the playground and I've seen you there almost every night for a week."

Yamato blinked a few times before replying: "I do live on the streets. I've been staying at the playground since last Thursday. Before that I spent a few nights near the library, but the night guards didn't want me there."

"What happened?" Taichi asked, having returned to the wall by the door.

Yamato's attention snapped to Taichi. The chocolate eyes were intense and Yamato found he couldn't look into them for long.

"What do you mean?" Yamato mumbled.

"I mean: What happened to cause you to end up on the streets?"

"Oh."

Yamato paused as the thermometer gave a beep. He watched as Jou removed it and inspected the number on the digital display.

"Thirty eight and six." He read, frowning. "That's not good. But we do have some medicine; that and a good night's rest should clear it up, for the most part. Do you have a headache or feel any pain?"

Yamato shook his head. "No, just tired, I think."

Jou smiled, getting up with a small packet of powdered medicine in hand. He grabbed the glass from the blond.

"I'll go mix this up, be right back."

"So?" Taichi prompted once the two were alone in the room. "What happened?"

"I ran away." Yamato muttered, shifting his position, not looking at the brunet.

"Ran away? When are you planning on returning?"

Yamato threw a glare at Taichi. "Never." He sat up, stilling for the duration of a headrush.

Glass full of medicine, Jou rushed back into the room and was at Yamato's side, pushing him back down. "Ah, don't get up yet."

Yamato resisted Jou's hand on his shoulder, pushing back, intent on getting up. "Let go, I need to leave."

"What?" Jou asked, wide eyes flying form Yamato to Taichi. "Why?"

Yamato paused, still sitting in bed, staring at his lap. "I'm not going back and you can't make me."

Taichi chose that moment to step closer. "We're not going to. That's not what I meant." His tone was soft, as were his eyes. Yamato's stance softened in response.

The hand Jou had on Yamato's shoulder also relaxed, giving a comforting squeeze. "We've all left our homes for one reason or another, so no one here will make you go back."

Yamato's eyes widened at the information, flicking to Taichi. "What?"

Jou and Taichi shared a look, before the brunet came to sit by the pillow, pulling Yamato to lie back down.

Taichi summarised their group: "My parents died in a car crash and me and my sister didn't want a new home. We ran away from the orphanage, taking Koushiro with us. He's autistic, so no one wanted him.

"Jou was kind of disowned for failing to get into medical school on his first try. Sora, like you, ran away because she didn't want to take over her family's business. And Mimi and Meiko were disowned for being lesbian."

Yamato lay in stunned silence, taking in the information. Jou took that moment to hand the medicine over and watched as Yamato drank it, cringing at the taste. The glass was handed back to Jou.

"That's a lot of people."

"Yeah," Taichi grinned, proud of his little group. "Seven of us. You'll make eight, if you want to move in."

Yamato was stunned again.

"A-are you inviting me to live with you?" He looked around incredulously at Jou, who shrugged. "Isn't that too many people under one roof?"

"We've managed." Taichi said with a shrug. "I mean, you obviously don't have a proper place to stay, so you might as well stay with us."

"And since you're still going to school, you probably don't have a job, so you can't even rent a place." Jou added.

Taichi's eyes widened at the new piece of information. He looked down at Yamato. "You're in school?"

"Yeah," Yamato admitted. "Final year of high school." He turned his attention to Jou. "I am looking for part-time work, but no luck yet. Hopefully I'll be able to get a better job after finishing school."

"So you're staying?" Taichi asked eagerly.

Yamato hesitated. On the one hand, he couldn't keep living on the streets and continue to look presentable at school. He could really use a roof over his head, especially now that fall was upon them and winter would be coming. On the other hand, he didn't know these people. He had never been good with people, so he didn't know how he would fare with seven strangers.

Jou sat down by his feet, patting his shin comfortingly. "You don't have to decide right away, you know. We're definitely keeping you here for the next few days, since you're sick, and you can think about what to do during that time."

"Thanks." Yamato nodded. "I really appreciate you two taking care of me and giving me a place to stay."

"Of course." Jou said, getting up. "I'll take this back and see if Sora's home yet. Excuse me."

Jou walked out of Taichi's room, closed the door, and frowned down at the glass.

Jou's head snapped up at a feminine voice: "I heard you and Taichi picked up another stray."

"Sora. Welcome home." He smiled, giving her a quick peck. "I was wondering if you'd be back yet."

"Dinner?" Sora asked with a tired sigh. "Someone else really needs to learn how to cook…" She straightened, leading the way into the kitchen. "So about this new guy?"

"Yamato. He ran away from home, though I don't know why." Jou hesitated. "We kind of invited him to live with us."

Sora stopped, regarding her boyfriend. "Another one? Jou…" She bit her lip.

"He has nowhere to go and is still going to school, so…"

The redhead sighed. "I know, I know. I would feel horrible for sending him back out, but. Jou. We might be struggling with money, come winter. Taichi just quit his job, too, so that's even less money."

"I know, but Yamato's looking for part-time work. And once he graduates, he'll be able to get a better-paying job."

"But will we be able to pay the bills up to that point?"

"I'm worried about that, too, but what else can we do?"

"I'll find work, I promise. I'll even get two jobs, if that's what it takes." Taichi announced, walking into the kitchen. "We can't put him on the streets again." He looked at the woman at the stove. "Please, Sora."

She smiled, looping an apron over her head. "I would never kick him out, but that doesn't stop me from worrying."

"Thanks." Taichi smiled. "By the way, I told him that we always wait for you to get home, since you're the only one that can cook. He said that he knows how, so he can take that chore from you."

Sora's mahogany eyes brightened. "I won't have to cook anymore?" She pulled out a pan. "He's staying."

The two men chuckled before Taichi reached out for the glass.

"Yamato needs more water."

Jou handed the glass to the brunet, who rinsed it before filling it up again. He nodded to the couple and walked back to his room.

Yamato was propped up against the headboard, inspecting the room. Not that there was much to look at, but Taichi didn't mind the lack of items in the room; it meant less cleaning up to do.

"Here you go." Taichi sat down again by Yamato's knees.

"Thanks." Yamato took the offered glass and drank half of it. He lowered it to his lap and stared into the water. "Sorry for being such a bother."

Taichi shook his head with a grin. "You're not a bother at all. I like meeting new people and getting to know them. It's how this place and group came to be."

Yamato turned an inquisitive look to Taichi. "Where, exactly, are we and what's the whole story?"

"Ah, well, the whole story will take a while to tell, but where we are is a bit easier: we're not too far from the playground you were staying at. Five, ten minutes or so, the shortest route. About the house… That you'll probably find out from Mimi. You'll be meeting her and Meiko and everyone else at dinner in a bit."

"Everyone? All seven?"

Laughing, Taichi clarified: "Five, considering that you've already met me and Jou."

"Right…"

Taichi cocked his head at the flushed blond. "Do you not want to meet them? I promise they're all really nice."

"I don't doubt that, but…" Yamato bit his lower lip. "I'm just not very good with people..." Would they all dislike him? Think him weird or unkind?

Taichi shifted closer, inspecting Yamato's face. "What happened to make you run away from home?"

Yamato shook his head slightly. "I just couldn't stand living with my mother; she's always hated me, but it just intensified when I had to move in with her."

"Why did you have to?"

Tears formed in blue eyes, making them glisten. "My…" He paused, drawing in a shaky breath. "He…"

"Your dad?" Taichi deduced.

Taichi was shocked when Yamato burst into tears, though he recovered quickly and wrapped his arms around the thin male. He muttered soothing words into the blond hair, stroking it gently.

After a few minutes of sobbing, Yamato mumbled a: "Sorry."

"Don't be." Taichi muttered, smiling into the hair. "It's okay; I know."

With a gasp, Yamato drew back sharply. "I'm sorry." His face scrunched up in sympathy. "You lost both your parents and here I am, crying, when I only—"

"Don't say that." Taichi reassured. He reached over to wipe the tears away. "My loss happened years ago and I still have Hikari and everyone else. Trust me, I cried a lot when it happened. I'm guessing your father's passing was very recent?"

Yamato nodded. "I only stayed with my mum and Takeru for five days before I left."

"Takeru?"

A small smile actually graced Yamato's face. "My little brother. He's always been nice to me; he was always on my side, even though we lived separately."

"You lived with your dad?"

A nod. "It was cancer."

"I'm sorry."

Another nod, this time in acknowledgement of the sympathy.

The two sat in silence for a minute before Taichi grinned, having found a new direction for their conversation: "Sora wants you to stay, if you take over most of the cooking." That earned a small laugh from Yamato.

There was a quick knock on the door before it opened, revealing a woman, around thirty-ish, holding two dinner plates. Her hair went halfway down her back and it was light brown with streaks of light green. She grinned widely at Yamato.

"Hi! Glad to meet you, I'm Mimi!"

Another woman—black hair, equally long—entered shyly, dark eyes on the floor. "Hi, um, I'm Meiko."

Mimi handed one of the plates to Taichi and plomped onto the floor. She looked up at her girlfriend and patted the ground next to her. With a quick glance at the newest member of their group, Meiko sat on the floor, plate on her lap.

"Yamato," Jou entered, holding two plates, with a redhead in tow. "This is Sora." He made to hand the other plate to Yamato, but Taichi stopped him.

"Wait." Taichi helped Yamato sit up properly and placed the plate Mimi had given him on the blanket-clad lap. Taichi then took the other plate Jou had.

Hikari and Koushiro were the last into the room, staying close to the door. Taichi pointed them out to Yamato and introduced them. Hikari gave Yamato a smile, but Koushiro focussed on his food.

"Well, eat up." Sora indicated to Yamato's plate.

Yamato glanced around at everyone in the room, sitting scattered on the floor. Only he and Taichi were off the floor.

Sora noticed his wandering eyes and smiled. "We're used to eating on the floor; we don't have a dining table. Usually we eat in the living room, but today we chose Taichi's room on account of you being here."

"Sorry for the bother and thanks for the food."

"It's no bother at all." Sora reassured.

"Yeah." Mimi jumped into the conversation, cheery as ever. "Of course we'd help out a runaway in need." She threw Taichi a mischievous look. "How much did Taichi tell you about us?"

"Oh." Yamato stumbled over himself, not really knowing if Taichi had been in the right to share all the information he had.

Mimi giggled brightly. "Oh, don't worry; we're quite open about our stories." She glanced at Meiko. "Did Taichi tell you that Meiko and I work together at a hostess club?"

Yamato's eyes widened at the revelation. Open indeed. "No, he didn't…"

"Well we do. Although Meiko works in the back, cleaning and washing dishes. She's too shy for the floor." Mimi leaned over to peck her girlfriend on the cheek. Meiko turned impossibly red.

Sora jumped in to save the dark-haired woman from further embarrassment. "I'm a bartender. I work the earliest shift, but I still get home quite late and can't make dinner at a reasonable time…"

"I'll be more than happy to take care of dinner and any other chore you want me to." Yamato assured hastily. "I can do just about anything and since I don't have a job after school yet, I'll get back early and can do the chores."

"So you're definitely staying?" Taichi asked, face alight with eagerness.

"Well…" Yamato hedged. "At least for the time being." He looked around the room at everyone. "I really don't want to intrude or be a burden." He looked down at his half-eaten food. "I don't have much money left anymore, and—"

"Don't worry." Taichi interrupted, leaning over to put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about bills or rent—there is no rent, in fact. And bills are mostly taken care of by those working. I quit my job, but I'm looking to get at least one more."

"How come there isn't rent to pay?" Yamato asked, confused.

"This house belongs to me." Mimi answered, piling her empty plate on top of Meiko's that was on top of Sora and Jou's. "It used to belong to my lesbian aunt, who took me and Meiko in when we were disowned. She died of cancer five years ago and left everything to me. She wasn't rich, but had the house."

"Oh." Yamato took a moment to digest the information, feeling Taichi's hand squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. Cancer. Taichi had made the connection, too.

"Um, are you done?" Meiko asked, indicating Yamato's plate, still half full.

"Yeah, sorry, I don't have much of an appetite…"

"Don't worry." Sora said. "I should have realised and given you a smaller portion." Then she followed Meiko out.

Hikari and Koushiro had slipped out as soon as they had finished eating.

"We'll leave you to rest." Jou stood up. "If you need someone to call your school tomorrow, I can take care of it."

Yamato's eyes widened. "I can't go to school tomorrow?"

Jou frowned. "No, I don't think it will be a good idea. Not with that fever."

"But," Yamato protested, sitting up straighter. "You said that I should be fine with a good night's sleep. I'll get that." Jou's frown deepened. "Can I at least try? If I feel even slightly sick tomorrow morning, I'll stay."

"Fine." Jou relented with a sigh.

"Thank you." Yamato smiled and Jou nodded in acknowledgement before leaving to help with the dishes or any other chores that needed to be done.

Yamato slunk back into a lying position, releasing a large breath.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Taichi asked, shifting a bit further down the bed, giving Yamato more room. "Meeting everyone, I mean."

"No," Yamato shook his head. "Everyone is really nice and welcoming." He hesitated. "Though Hikari and Koushiro don't seem to like me much. Not that I really blame them…"

"Oh, no; they're just like that. Hikari likes everyone, but Koushiro doesn't like anyone because of his condition. Well, he'll start to like you, but give him time. Lots of time. Koushiro only really talks to Hikari properly; it's been like that ever since the orphanage. They're inseparable."

Yamato attempted to stifle a yawn. Taichi stood, stretching his arms above his head.

"I'll leave you to rest now, okay? Good night, I'll see you—"

"Where are you going to sleep? This is your room, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but don't worry." Taichi turned to face Yamato fully, giving him a reassuring smile. "I can sleep elsewhere."

Yamato frowned. "Can you? Seems to me like this house is kind of full… I shouldn't take over your bed."

"It's fine, really." Taichi brushed his concerns off.

"You don't even have a dining table, I doubt you have spare beds or a couch."

Taichi scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, no, we had to sell both at one point to have enough money to pay the bills."

"Get in here." Yamato said, exasperated, moving over to give Taichi more space.

Taichi's palms came up in front of him in protest. "Oh, no, I'll disturb your sleep. Trust me, I toss and turn in my sleep _a lot_. You won't be able to get a proper night's sleep if I join you."

" _You_ won't be able to sleep at all if you don't join me."

"Eh, true." Taichi finally relented with a shrug. "I'll just go check on everyone and then be back." He walked over to the door but paused. "Do you want a change of clothes? Mine should fit you…" He went over to his dresser, rummaging through the drawers.

"Ah, sorry, these clothes probably got your bed all dirty…"

Taichi turned with a grin. "Don't worry about it; I was supposed to change the sheets yesterday, but never got round to it. Might as well leave it until tomorrow." He winked at Yamato, who gave a laugh.

Taichi gave the fresh sleepwear to Yamato and left the room.

Carefully, Yamato climbed out of the bed, mindful of the mattress falling short of the bed frame. He glanced at the clothes in his hands: a t-shirt and shorts. They looked and felt comfortable.

As he was getting changed, Yamato couldn't help but allow his mind to wander to the brunet whom he was supposed to share the bed with.

Taichi seemed genuinely nice. His smiles all reached his eyes and he seemed like the class clown. At the same time, though, he clearly had a more serious side to him.

As Yamato climbed back into bed, staying on the side closer to the door, he hummed to himself. He could see himself staying here. At least for a few weeks, until he had his future more figured out.

"Yamato? Are you asleep yet?"

"No, not yet." Though he wasn't far from it.

Taichi edged a few steps into the room, noting the ceiling light was still on. He looked to the bed, noting Yamato huddled up on one half of it. He smiled affectionately at the blond.

"Have you brushed your teeth yet?"

Yamato yawned before answering: "Yeah, at the park's fountain."

Taichi gave him a flat look. "We just had dinner."

"Oh… Right..."

Taichi shook his head. "I'll let you get off this once."

"Thanks." Yamato mumbled back.

Taichi turned off the light, making his way towards the bed. He was glad that he didn't own that much stuff, otherwise it might have been harder to navigate through the room. "Good night, Yamato."

"Night, Taichi."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I forgot this from the first chapter, but this will cover both: I don't own Digimon.

 **A/N:** Sorry for the long wait! I actually had this chapter written weeks ago, but figured I'd use everyone's hype and distraction about Kyousei as a chance to get a head start on chapter three, so the wait won't be as long (maybe).

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Ugh." Yamato groaned lightly, feeling an elbow in his side. Blearily, he opened his eyes, throwing a half-hearted glare at the brunet sleeping next to him. He scooted closer to the edge of the bed, turned onto his side, and closed his eyes.

Half an hour later he was awoken by Taichi kicking him in the ankle.

With a tired sigh, Yamato sat up, nudging Taichi further away; Yamato was sure he'd next wake up to falling off the bed if he ignored Taichi.

"Ngh." Taichi mumbled.

Yamato prodded a bit more, until Taichi cracked open an eye.

"Wha?"

"Move."

Taichi blinked both eyes open, taking in his location. "Oh." He shifted back to his own half of the double bed, turning his back to Yamato.

Yamato, too, settled back down—only to wake up an hour later to Taichi's breath on the back of his neck and Taichi's arm squeezing his waist.

Eyes closed, Yamato let out a long, silent breath. He was tired, he was sick, his head felt like it was full of fluff, and he didn't want to bother with fighting. Instead, he snuggled further into Taichi's hold.

The next time Yamato woke up, it was to the familiar chime of his phone's alarm going off. He reached up, slapping a hand over the patch of ground he normally kept his phone on. His eyes shot open in surprise as his hand met with a softness. He pushed himself to sit up, scanning his surroundings. A room.

"Ugh, shut up."

Yamato's eyes travelled to the young man lying face-down next to him.

 _What?_

An irritated brown eye peeked up from the white pillow. "Are you turning that thing off or will I have to break it?"

"Ah, sorry." Yamato dived for his phone on the floor. The chiming stopped.

"Thanks." Taichi snuggled back into the pillow.

"Gods." Yamato muttered, rubbing his face aggressively, before chuckling. "I completely forgot where I was for a moment. Scared the shit out of me."

Taichi peeked up again, amusement replacing the earlier irritability.

The two held eye contact for a good minute before Yamato snapped out of it, realising he had to get to school. He jumped out of bed, digging through his duffle bag and extracting his uniform and toothbrush. He paused.

"Bathroom's right across the hall."

Yamato nodded his thanks, walking out of the room. No sooner had he entered the bathroom than Taichi barged in after him with a dark green towel.

"Here, if you want to take a shower."

Yamato took the offered towel, eyes glued to his hands fiddling with it. "Thanks. For everything."

Taichi just smiled, turning to head out of the bathroom. "It's really not a problem and you should stop thinking it is."

Upon the door closing, Yamato brought the towel up and pressed his face into it. The action did nothing to stop the smile from spreading across the blond's face, but it did suck up a stray tear. His emotions really were all over the place these days…

Snapping to attention again at the realisation that he needed to hurry, Yamato quickly stripped and made his way into the shower cubicle. Once the initial cold burst of water was down the drain, Yamato stepped under the stream. It had been ten days since he'd last had a proper shower. That had been at Takeru's house…

Brushing the thoughts away, Yamato made quick work of getting clean. He brushed his teeth whilst pulling on clothes, though the combination of tasks didn't work quite as well as he had hoped.

Yamato looked himself over in the mirror, making sure he looked presentable enough for school, before pulling the door open. Taichi was standing on the other side, holding toast in his hand.

"Breakfast." Taichi announced, offering the bread to the blond. "It's not much, but it's the best we have. Someone needs to go shopping..." The last part was said to the floor, but Yamato took note of it.

"I don't usually eat breakfast…"

Taichi looked up, shoving the toast closer to Yamato's face. "But normally you probably eat dinner. Last night you hardly ate, so now you will. Besides, Jou thinks you're chronically ill since you're so skinny."

Yamato took the toast, nibbling on a corner, trying to stop his lip from trembling.

"Hey," Taichi stepped closer, placing a soft hand on Yamato's shoulder. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."

Yamato shook his head vigorously, still fighting the tremble and tears.

"No, really, Yamato, I'm sorry. _Is_ something wrong? With your health, I mean."

Yamato shook his head again, swallowing thickly. "No." His voice cracked, so he took a moment to compose it. "Sorry. No, I'm not ill; I just kind of stopped eating when dad got too—" He stopped again, drawing tight breaths.

With sympathy covering his face, Taichi wrapped his arms around the thin teen. "I'm sorry." He felt Yamato shaking his head against the shoulder he was buried in. "Maybe you should stay home today. Are you even feeling better?"

Yamato took his time before answering: "Yeah, I feel fine." He pulled back from Taichi, eyes closed. "Sorry, I need to get going. I don't wanna be late."

Taichi smiled. "Grab your bag and let's head out. I'll be walking you to school, since you probably don't know how to get there from here."

"Thanks." Yamato mumbled, moving back into Taichi's room for his book bag. He walked back out to Taichi's grin, bag in one hand, toast in the other.

"Shall we?" Taichi asked.

"Yeah, let's go."

The pair stopped in the foyer to put on their shoes before stepping out of the house. Yamato got his first look at their neighbourhood. It was full of large houses, each fenced off from the other. The fences were too high to see over and had no gaps to see through, giving each house a sense of privacy. The road running in front of the houses was quiet and there was no separate sidewalk. It was probably rarely busy.

"It might take a while for you to recognise our house, so I can come pick you up from school, too, if you don't mind."

Yamato smiled at how Taichi had referred to it as their house.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea as we should probably go shopping. If no one else does it in the meantime."

"Oh, yeah, I already forgot about that. And you should really be the one to go shopping, since you'll be cooking."

Mouth full of toast, Yamato only nodded in reply.

"That way leads to Arby's, it's the longer route, which goes along the main road." Taichi pointed to the left. "You were staying at the park over that way, so you probably walked to school down this way."

"Yeah, I recognise the road." Yamato confirmed, looking around at the familiar bushes. He had finished his toast, quite grateful that Taichi had had the foresight to make him some.

"Did Jou mention he works at Arby's and that's how he knew you were at the park and knew to help you?"

Yamato's attention snapped to Taichi. "No, he didn't…" Yamato frowned. "I thought you said that he was a doctor."

"Ah, well." Taichi laughed nervously. "He's not actually a doctor, but he did have to learn a lot of medical stuff to take the entrance exams. He quit that career path when his parents got mad at him for failing, but he still knows all the stuff he learnt."

"Hn." Yamato returned his attention to the road ahead. "I was under the impression that he tried again and got in."

Taichi shrugged, grabbing a stick from on top of a brick wall. "Well, now you know."

"Yeah." Yamato threw a quick glance at Taichi before looking away. "What jobs have you done? And what will you be looking for?"

Taichi's attention was on the stick in his hands; he was fiddling with it and breaking off pieces to drop onto the ground. "Well my last job was working as a cleaner for a few apartment buildings, but I quit because it was so early in the morning and the pay wasn't that good."

Yamato waited, watching Taichi pick at the stick from the corner of his eye. "So…?" Yamato prompted once it became clear that Taichi wasn't going to elaborate on his own.

"Huh?"

"What are you looking for now?"

"Oh." Taichi threw the stick into some bushes, placing his hands behind his head. "I was thinking of working at a café or something. The hours would be better and I would actually get to interact with people. Being a cleaner was lonely."

The school came into view, grounds saturated with students. It was probably almost time for the bell to ring.

"Well," Taichi said, dropping his hands to his sides and smiling at Yamato. "This is it. I'll come pick you up later, so wait for me, okay?"

Yamato smiled and nodded. "Of course. See you later and thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Taichi watched as Yamato entered the school grounds, joining the mass of students. Yet, the blond stood out from his darker peers, so Taichi was able to keep an eye on him until the blond head disappeared through the main doors.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts, Taichi started making his way back home. He really shouldn't have quit his job so hastily; he should have started looking for a new one before letting his boss know he was leaving.

Their group of friends had been doing well money-wise when all the five adults had been working. But now that Taichi was unemployed, they would have to watch their expenses more. On top of that, it was the end of September so they would have to turn on the heating soon. And they had taken Yamato in. There was no way Taichi would ever regret helping the blond, but he _was_ an extra expense…

Taichi entered the house, toeing off his shoes. He stopped short at whom he saw in the foyer. "Hikari. Where are you going?"

"Hi Taichi, welcome back." Hikari smiled, slipping on her shoes. She tapped her left toe against the ground to adjust the shoe. "I'm off to the streets."

"Hikari…" Taichi groaned, running a hand over his face. "You know I don't like you begging."

The small girl frowned. "We need the money and you know it." Her face split into a mischievous grin. "Nobody can resist me." And she was out the door.

Taichi groaned, walking further into the house.

"What's up?"

Taichi looked up to see Jou watching him from the entrance of the kitchen on his left.

"Jou, I didn't know you'd be up already."

Jou shrugged a shoulder, sipping at his coffee. "Koushiro had a nightmare and he wanted me to check him over. He's sleeping again and Hikari's just gone out."

"Yeah, I saw her."

"Ah." Jou acknowledged the grumpy tone, letting the subject drop. "Yamato was feeling better?"

Taichi stretched his arms above his head, walking into the kitchen, causing Jou to re-enter as well. "Yeah, I showed him the way to school and I'll be picking him up, too, so we can go shopping." Taichi reached into a cabinet, pulling out his own mug and filling it with the coffee Jou made. "I should have made him some coffee…"

Jou's eyes widened. "He didn't have breakfast? Why didn't you feed him?!"

Taichi turned in surprise, almost spilling the milk he was adding to his coffee. "No, no, he ate. I made him some toast, but I didn't think there would have been time to make coffee."

Jou frowned. "We didn't have anything more nutritious?"

"Nope, that's why we're going shopping later. Now if you'll excuse me," Taichi turned to leave the kitchen, coffee mug in hand. "I have to go hand out CVs."

"Good luck." Jou called after him.

Taichi walked into his room, setting the coffee on his desk. He pulled open the top drawer, extracting a thin folder; it contained the CVs he had printed out a few days ago. He checked them over whilst sipping on his coffee.

An hour later, he was showered, dressed smartly, and out the door. He had already dropped off a few CVs the past few days, but he wouldn't stop until he had secured at least one job. His prospects weren't very good, as he'd only completed the compulsory nine years of school, but he didn't let that discourage him. His age was also usually more of a hindrance than an asset, but he wouldn't be 18 forever.

Humming to himself, Taichi marched in through the doors of their local Arby's. Jou might put in a good word for him here and he might be able to secure a cashier's job, like the almost-med-student.

Two hours later found Taichi bored. He didn't really want to go back home, seeing as Koushiro would probably be the only one there. No matter how long the two had known each other, Koushiro still wasn't warming up to Taichi. According to Hikari, Taichi shouldn't take it personally; Koushiro hadn't had good experiences with males in the past, though even she didn't know all the details.

Taichi sighed, walking into a park. It was around one in the afternoon, so he might as well have something to eat. He grinned to himself as he walked towards a vendor selling fish cakes; he couldn't wait to try Yamato's cooking. The blond's modesty at his own cooking skills had Taichi's expectations soaring.

After buying his fishcakes—four of them—he took a seat at one of the benches. He had applied for a park attendant job here. He was hoping to get it and be able to work outdoors and meet different people every day.

Different. Like Yamato.

Taichi chewed thoughtfully. Yamato was certainly an interesting character. He was kind of a mystery, but, at the same time, he was quite easy to read. Taichi had never met anyone like him, yet he felt like he had known Yamato a long time.

A yellowing leaf fell to the ground on Taichi's left. He looked at it, then up at the tree it had come from. It was already late September. Fall would be upon them soon. How had Yamato planned on surviving the winter in the playground? He probably hadn't even thought that far. Taichi was forced, again, to consider the possibility of Jou never having seen Yamato. Of Jou never having helped him. Taichi's heart clenched at the thought.

Instead of dwelling on thoughts of 'what if,' Taichi stood and stretched. He threw the wooden sticks from the fishcakes into the bin nearby and shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark trousers. He would just wander around for a while.

Over an hour later, Taichi was back at Yamato's school. There was still over an hour left until Yamato would be released, but Taichi had gotten tired of walking. He settled onto one of the benches on the school grounds, deciding to nap. The night had not been the most restful. Well, not until they had settled into each other's embraces. Taichi blushed lightly at the memory.

At three thirty, the bells rang, signalling the end of the school day. They woke Taichi up from his nap. He spent the next ten minutes waking himself up and edging towards the main doors of the school building. He got some interested looks from some of the students, as they'd never seen him before.

At long last, a head of golden hair walked out. Yamato was alone. Grinning, Taichi moved to walk alongside the blond.

"How was school?"

Surprised, Yamato cast a quick glance at the brunet to his right and smiled. "It was good; interesting."

Taichi's eyebrows rose and he gave Yamato a speculative look, though the other missed it. With an amused shake of his head, Taichi let the topic drop. "Are you good to head straight for the supermarket or do you want to go home first?"

They paused at the gate, Taichi waiting for Yamato's response, though he didn't let it come, elaborating: "They're in opposite directions from here."

"Let's go shopping, then. No point in making the same trip twice."

Taichi nodded, leading the way. They spent most of the walk in silence, with Taichi observing the pale teen at his side.

"Are you feeling sick again?" Taichi asked as they made it to the store. He grabbed a shopping cart, pushing it through the automatic gates.

"I'm fine." Came Yamato's too-quick response.

Taichi snorted, parking the cart by some potatoes. "Unlikely, but there's not much we can do about it right now."

Yamato threw a glare Taichi's way. "I'm fine." He insisted, inspecting the prices of the vegetables. Since he wasn't contributing to paying the expenses, he had decided to pick the cheap in-season vegetables.

"I'm still not going to believe you; you don't look fine."

"I am."

Taichi just rolled his eyes, but dropped the subject, not wanting to annoy Yamato until he had decided he wanted to stay at Taichi's permanently. Only then would the proper teasing start.

"What are you smirking at?" Yamato asked, bagging some potatoes.

"Nothing." Taichi grinned. "Are we ready to move onto the meats yet?"

Yamato shot him a look that was halfway between annoyed and amused. "No."

Taichi pouted, but stayed silent as Yamato picked out a few more vegetables, then motioned for Taichi to follow him into the next section. Apparently Taichi was in charge of pushing the shopping cart through the store. He didn't mind, seeing as he wouldn't be cooking, so he felt he had no say in what foods they'd buy. He'd trust Yamato's judgement.

It took them an hour to be done with the shopping.

"Thank you for your patronage." The overly cheerful cashier said as she handed Taichi the receipt.

"Thanks." Taichi replied, rushing to help Yamato with the groceries. "Here, I'll get them."

"I've got these two, grab that one." Yamato nodded his head to the third plastic bag, moving his bags away from Taichi's reaching hands. "Taichi, I've got them, let go." Yamato yanked the bags out of Taichi's loose grip and marched towards the automatic doors.

"I can carry them all, it's no problem." Taichi assured, rushing after the blond with the last plastic bag hanging from his hand. His tanned hand reached for one of Yamato's hands.

"Taichi!" Yamato hissed, noting that they were attracting quite a bit of attention. "I've got them."

"But you're still sick. And don't think I didn't notice!" Taichi added the latter bit before Yamato had time to protest. "You can carry one, but give the other to me. No, no, give me the heavier one."

With a roll of his eyes, Yamato handed the heavier bag over. "Fine."

Taichi grinned, though he refrained from gloating. Instead, he moved both plastic bags into one hand and dug into one of them, pulling out a slice of bread. Yamato frowned.

"What?" Taichi asked, before offering the slice of bread to Yamato. "You want?"

"No thanks."

Taichi shrugged and bit off a corner. "Suit yourself, but I'm hungry."

"Can't you wait until we get home?" Yamato's eyes were on the road ahead, but Taichi saw him roll them. The brunet just ginned.

"Did you eat anything at school?" Taichi questioned after a few more bites.

"Yeah."

Taichi waited, but then gave an exasperated sigh, poking Yamato with his now bread-free hand. He then moved the other grocery bag to the empty hand. "Hasn't your mother ever taught you how to hold a conversation and elaborate?"

Yamato threw a nasty glare his way, and Taichi blanched.

"Right, sorry." Taichi mumbled, eyes falling to the ground. He had forgotten that Yamato apparently didn't get along with his mother. Now probably wouldn't be a good time to prod. "Anyway," Taichi continued, as if he hadn't just royally shoved his foot into his mouth. "What'd you have for lunch?"

"A sandwich." Yamato stated, then remembered Taichi's earlier comment and elaborated: "Chicken."

Taichi rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Wow, you're getting good at this."

Yamato's next glare was ruined by the smile that crossed his face. "Shut up."

"So what courses are you taking? I haven't been to high school, so I don't know what they offer. Is it just the usual of math and science and languages?" Taichi asked, changing the subject again.

"My school offers the general path, with all the usual courses, but I decided to take the vocational route that they offer, seeing as I'll be looking to work after high school and… yeah."

"Oh, right, so you're not taking math or anything?"

Yamato shrugged, rubbing at the arm holding the groceries. "Well I am, but it's different from what the others—the ones on the general route—are doing. It's a bit different; I mean the math and the courses that I'm taking. It's not—it's the best route for me, considering…"

Taichi nodded. "Well, yeah, of course it's the best route. You'll probably manage to get the best job out of all of us; the highest-paying one, and you'll probably have regular working hours, too. The rest of the guys have weird shifts."

Yamato cast a quick glance at Taichi. "Will anyone be at home when we get there?" It felt a bit weird for him to be calling it 'home,' but calling it anything else would have been weirder. And quite possibly rude.

Taichi looked around, then at his hands, both full. "Probably not. I don't know what time it is now, but Mimi was the last to leave for work and that was at four. Hikari and Koushiro are probably home, though most of the time you can't tell; they spend most of their time upstairs in their room."

Yamato hummed in reply, awkward about discussing the two youngest members of their household. He wondered if they'd ever get used to him.

"They share a room?" Yamato asked, trying to distract his negative thoughts.

"Yeah, we all do now that you're sharing with me." Taichi grinned, turning the corner to their small street. "Jou and Sora have the master bedroom. Mine was a study, but we got rid of all the bookshelves and stuff."

Yamato nodded, holding the gate open for Taichi to pass through. He watched as Taichi placed one of his bags down and pulled out a set of keys. Taichi paused, staring at his hand.

"We need to get you a copy of the house key." Taichi mused. He then shrugged and unlocked the door, grabbing the other bag and leading the way in.

The duo made their way to the kitchen, placing their bags down. Taichi fiddled with the keys in his hands, handing one over to Yamato.

"That's the key to the back door, but it'll do for now, until someone goes into the city and gets you a copy of the front door one."

"Thanks." Yamato got a warm feeling from the cold key. He was actually wanted here.

Taichi then spent the next few minutes showing Yamato which cupboards each item went into, getting the blond more acquainted with the kitchen.

"You want to get changed?" Taichi asked once they were done putting the groceries away.

"Oh, sure." Yamato said, looking down at his uniform. When living at the playground, he had worn his uniform until going to sleep. It wasn't the most comfortable outfit, so, now that he had the chance, he might as well change out of it early.

Taichi grinned, leading the way to their room. "I have some clothes that you can wear. And keep. We really need to get you some new stuff soon, though."

"There's really no rush." Yamato assured, walking into the room behind Taichi. "I've survived with what I have thus far, so I'll survive until I get a job."

Taichi paused in his digging of the drawers. "I don't know if you should get a job just yet…" He glanced at Yamato's about-to-protest face and hastened to add: "I mean, you're still in school, looking to graduate to a good job, so it might be too much to get one now. Plus, you'll be doing most of the chores around here, so it's enough on one plate. I think."

Yamato contemplated this. Taichi did have good points; it was already September, so he only had about half a year of school left. He'd be graduating next spring and be able to properly focus on getting a job then. It's not like anyone would want to hire a diploma-less student for half a year anyway… But would he be alright as a freeloader until then? He cringed at the idea; it wasn't like him to take advantage of others' kindness.

"You'll be graduating soon, so it's not like you'd be jobless for that long. Besides, you're not guaranteed a part-time job as a student. And you'd probably be quitting it by next spring, so no one would want to hire you for such a short period of time."

Had Taichi read his mind?

Taichi handed over some clothes. "It really isn't a problem if you don't work for half a year."

With a long sigh, Yamato took the clothes. "I suppose you're right. And thanks for the clothes."

"It's no problem." Taichi grinned again, before allowing Yamato some privacy. Only, he came back just as Yamato was unbuttoning his shirt.

"Hey." Yamato stated flatly.

Taichi just gave him a sheepish grin, going over to a paper bag sitting on the desk. "Sorry, but I almost forgot to give this to you." He held the bag to Yamato. "I was out earlier, handing out CVs, and wanted to get you a welcoming present."

Speechless, Yamato took the offered bag and pulled out a dark blue bundle of clothing. He unravelled it, revealing an apron.

"Since you'll be doing most of the cooking, and I don't think Sora's red apron would look as good on you."

Yamato blushed at the thoughtfulness of the present, ducking his head down. "Thanks."

"Sure." Taichi replied, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I'll just leave you to get dressed now."

"Wait." Taichi did, looking at Yamato questioningly. "Sorry, but can you go ask Hikari and Koushiro if they want a snack, please? I could make one, since we probably won't have dinner for a few hours yet."

"Sure." Taichi repeated and was out the door.

Yamato smiled, continuing to change into the loose-fitting cargo pants and dark grey t-shirt.

Taichi came down the stairs on Yamato's right, just as the blond left the bedroom.

"They'll have popcorn."

Yamato paused. "I'm sorry, what?"

Taichi went ahead, walking towards the kitchen, calling over his shoulder: "Hikari and Koushiro just want some popcorn as a snack."

Muttering to himself and shaking his head, Yamato followed, throwing his new apron over his head. "Do we even have popcorn?" He asked, walking into the kitchen.

Taichi turned away from one of the cupboards, grinning with a packet of popcorn in hand. "Of course we do. It's about the only snack those two can be trusted to make by themselves."

Taichi turned to the microwave—a hand-me-down from their previous neighbour—and shoved the packet in, pressing a few buttons. The microwave hummed to itself, soon accompanied by pops.

Yamato spent a few moments watching Taichi watch the spinning popcorn bag, then moved to the laundry room, to the left of the kitchen. He opened the closet in the corner, pulling out a few cleaning supplies. He'd noted the living room could do with dusting.

"What are you doing?" Taichi asked, poking his head into the room.

Yamato showed him the duster and some cloths. "I was thinking of cleaning a bit before starting on dinner."

Taichi made a face before pulling out and into the kitchen. "Jou will be mad at me if I don't tell you to rest."

"I'll let him know you said that." Yamato replied, walking past the kitchen and into the living room.

Taichi rolled his eyes as he emptied the popcorn into two bowls. He grabbed both and made his way to the living room, setting one of the bowls onto the low coffee table they had.

"At least eat something. Did you eat at school?"

Yamato paused his dusting, throwing Taichi a concerned look. "Is there something wrong with your memory? We already had this discussion."

Taichi blinked, other bowl in hand. "We d—Oh! We did! I remember." He laughed to himself, making his way to the stairs and to his sister's room.

Yamato grabbed a handful of popcorn, munching on it with one hand, whilst the other continued to dust. There weren't a lot of items in the living room, but the walls and shelves were quite dirty. Not that Yamato was surprised; he saw how hectic things were in this household. Many people under one roof always equalled a mess. Cleaning had been easy when it was just him and his—

Maybe he should vacuum a bit, too, seeing as everyone would be eating on the floor. It wouldn't do for them to get themselves dirty.

"Alright?" Taichi entered the living room again. He flopped down on the floor, grabbing some popcorn and eyeing Yamato. "Too much dust?" He asked, referring to Yamato's watery eyes.

"It's not that bad." Yamato mumbled, wiping down an empty shelf on the wall. "With you living here, I'm surprised it's not worse."

"Hey!"

Yamato just smirked, glad for the distraction. He lifted the duster over his head, standing on his toes, reaching for the corner of the ceiling. He flicked at the cobwebs for a bit, then a bit more. He finally managed to get the silk stuck to the microfibers. Yamato smiled in triumph, letting his arm and heels drop. The sudden movement made his vision black around the edges and he swayed, hand moving to steady himself against the wall.

Taichi was at Yamato's side in an instant, both hands on the blond's shoulders.

"You okay?"

Yamato took a steadying breath and gave Taichi a smile. "Yeah, I'm good."

Taichi let out a breath and let his hands drop. Then he gave Yamato a flat look. "I thought I told you to rest."

Yamato chuckled, moving towards the next corner. "I thought that was Jou?"

"Well Jou's not here." Taichi replied, yanking the duster from Yamato's hands. He received an indignant 'oi!' in protest, but ignored it. "You're done cleaning for now. Don't you have something less straining to do?"

Yamato glared at Taichi for a few minutes before realising that the brunet would not relent. With a heavy sigh, Yamato moved towards their bedroom. "Might as well do my homework, then."

Taichi smiled, taking the duster back to the laundry room.

Yamato spent the next hour on the living room floor, working on his homework and trying to avoid the popcorn Taichi was throwing at him.

"Right." Yamato stood, dusting the popcorn off his clothes, then frowning at the mess on the floor. He looked at Taichi with the same frown. "You do realise that I'll have to clean this up, don't you?"

Taichi waved him off, standing as well. "Tomorrow or something; it can wait and you're in no shape to be doing anything strenuous."

Yamato rolled his eyes, but didn't bother saying anything. He walked into the kitchen, intent on starting dinner. Jou and Sora would be arriving within the hour, so he wanted dinner ready for them. He would have to clean most of the popcorn, too, before they got home.

Taichi spent a few minutes watching Yamato measure the rice into the cooker and prepare the pork they'd bought. It was quite boring, so he sighed and walked into the laundry room. He pulled out a broom and dustpan, frowning at them.

"Where are you going?" Yamato asked from his position at the hob, as Taichi made his way past the kitchen.

"Cleaning up the popcorn, since I know you'd do it anyway, even though I told you not to. And Jou told you not to." Taichi sounded like he was dreading the menial task, amusing Yamato to no end.

"Thanks."

Taichi busied himself with sweeping the popcorn for a few minutes, before depositing them into the bin. He put the supplies away and made his way up the stairs. He came up to a hallway with two doors on the left side, one straight down the hall, and one to the right at the far end. He knocked on the first door to his left.

"Yes?" Hikari called. Taichi walked in. "Oh, Taichi. Is dinner ready?"

The room contained less furniture than Taichi's: just two single beds on opposite walls and a wardrobe. Hikari and Koushiro were sitting on the floor in the space between the beds.

"Not yet, but could you two come down and socialise a bit? Yamato thinks you don't like him…"

Hikari and Koushiro exchanged saddened looks.

"We don't mean for him to feel like that." Hikari stated, still looking at Koushiro. "But you know how we tend to be."

"I know, but Yamato's new and he'll be staying with us, so you two should get to know him a bit. He's friendly." Taichi added the last comment for Koushiro's benefit, as the teen was still wary around people. Koushiro had revealed that his first foster family had not taken Koushiro's condition well. Punishments were mentioned.

"Okay." Hikari acquiesced, bringing Taichi out of his musings. "We'll be down in a bit."

Taichi smiled his thanks before leaving the room. Upon reaching the main floor, he realised he heard voices coming from the kitchen; Jou must be home. Sure enough, as he entered the kitchen, he was greeted by the dark-haired male. Yamato was busy chopping carrots, whilst a pot gently brewed to his left.

Out of curiosity, Taichi peeked into the pot: onion, what smelled like garlic and ginger, and the pork. Yamato stepped up and added the carrots under Taichi's nose.

"Curry?" Taichi asked as the blond poured in some water.

"Yep." Yamato answered, distracted, as he turned up the heat. He then started chopping the peeled potatoes.

"Yamato?" Jou questioned, walking back into the kitchen. Taichi hadn't even realised he had left. "Did you check your temperature after school?"

"No." Again a distracted answer.

"He insisted he was fine." Taichi elaborated, knowing how bad the blond was at it. "But then he almost passed out when trying to clean. I got him to do his homework instead, though." Taichi hastened to add the last part, as Jou wasn't looking very happy.

"You really should have stayed at home." Jou said with a sigh.

"I was fine in school." Yamato threw a glare at Taichi. "And whilst cleaning."

Taichi put his hands up in front of himself, watching as Yamato returned to preparing the roux. "Just calling it as I saw it."

"Now, now." Jou placated. "The point is really for you to take it easy, Yamato. Sure, you might be better, but you still need to be careful."

Yamato gave Jou a quick smile, then checked on the boiling pot. Satisfied, he turned around, leaning on the counter. "I promise I'll take it easy; all I really do in school is sit around, anyway."

"Still," Jou said, giving Yamato a pat on the shoulder. "Take it easy at home too. There's no need to feel like you need to earn your place here."

Yamato's face reddened, but he was spared having to answer by Hikari and Koushiro walking in.

"Hey." Hikari said cheerfully, unaware of the atmosphere in the room.

The three males greeted the two in return.

"Dinner smells great!" The young girl walked further into the kitchen, eyeing the covered pot. "What are we having?"

Yamato cleared his throat lightly before answering: "Pork curry. Hope that's okay with you."

Hikari grinned. "Sounds great! In fact," she turned to Koushiro, who was still standing by the door. "It's Koushiro's favourite."

Yamato's eyes met Koushiro's and the former smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. I hope it lives up to your expectations."

Koushiro gave a small smile in return, but didn't say anything.

The corners of Yamato's mouth were still turned slightly upwards as he checked on the potatoes, making sure they were tender enough. He turned off the heat and added the roux and a dash of soy sauce, mixing the sauce thoroughly.

"I'm home." Sora called from the entrance.

"Perfect timing;" Taichi called back. "Dinner's ready."

"Has everyone washed up?" Sora asked, poking her head into the kitchen. She took Koushiro's hand, leading him towards the bathroom. Hikari and Jou followed, whilst Taichi shoved his hands under the kitchen tap.

"She's such as mum, you'll soon realise."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Yamato removed his apron, joining Taichi at the kitchen sink.

"Oh, I wasn't complaining." Taichi flicked some water at Yamato's face. "Though sometimes it's annoying."

Yamato finished washing his hands and returned the flick of water. Taichi made a noise of protest and went for the tap again, but was interrupted by a stern:

"Boys."

Said boys turned to face Sora, apologetic looks on their faces. She had her hands on her hips with a giggling Hikari behind her. Jou was shaking his head in amusement, whilst Koushiro seemed clueless.

"See?" Taichi whispered as he pulled out plates. Yamato just chuckled, spooning out curry and rice for everyone.

They settled around the freshly cleaned coffee table, making light chatter about their days. Jou had had a few dissatisfied customers who had made wrong orders, then complained that Jou had gotten the orders wrong. Of course, the customer was always right, so Jou had apologised and fixed the meals.

Sora was working at a restaurant-bar, where she mainly mixed drinks, but today they'd been understaffed, so she had had to waitress as well.

After dinner, Hikari and Koushiro volunteered to do the dishes, allowing the elders to get some much needed downtime. Or at least, that's what Taichi had been hoping for.

"We should really change those sheets now." Yamato noted upon entering their shared room.

Taichi groaned.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

-o-

A/N: Thank you all for the feedback; it's greatly appreciated! And thank you for your patience with this story; I know it takes me ridiculously long to write the next chapter and I give my humblest apologies.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Yamato inhaled deeply through his nose, letting his body wake up at its own pace. There was no rush to turn off the alarm before it woke Taichi up, since it was a Saturday.

Yamato opened his eyes when he felt Taichi's arm slip from around his waist as Taichi turned to face the wall. Ever since that first night—four nights ago, now, Yamato mused—he had gotten more comfortable with the idea of sharing a bed with another person. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he seemed to sleep better with Taichi next to him. He vaguely recalled having read somewhere that men slept more soundly if they were snuggling with someone.

Yamato's face reddened.

Not that he and Taichi were snuggling! They were just sharing a bed with their limbs occasionally—accidentally—tangling around the other. Not very often, Yamato assured himself.

Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, Yamato edged his feet off the bed and sat up.

"Getting up already?"

Yamato started at the voice behind him. He turned to look at the sleepy brunet still cuddled under the duvet.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Yamato asked in lieu of answering.

"Nah." Taichi said, throwing the covers off himself and stretching his arms above his head. "I was just waking up, too. I thought you'd have a bit more of a lie-in, though, since you don't have school."

Yamato shrugged, standing. "Yeah, but I'm not sleepy anymore, and some of the others have work and we agreed to have breakfast together, right?"

"Right." Taichi swung himself to sit upright on the bed. "But Sora will be the first to leave and that won't be until ten. What time is it, anyway?" Taichi scanned the floor for his mobile, though Yamato already had his in his hand.

Yamato frowned at his phone. "It's already eight thirty."

"You mean 'only,' right?"

"No, no." Yamato replied, distracted by the sound of the shower running upstairs. "Sora's already up and getting ready. I should get started on breakfast."

Taichi rolled his eyes, though his brain was already conjuring up a mischievous plan. Slyly, he reached out to snag one of Yamato's wrists, bodily pulling the blond onto the bed.

"Hey!" Yamato yelped, landing heavily, face first, on Taichi.

Taichi grunted from the impact, but then chuckled. "Guess I didn't think this through." He wheezed out.

Yamato hid his chuckle in Taichi's shoulder before rolling off to the side. "Serves you right."

"Guess so." Taichi acquiesced before the two lapsed into silence.

The sun was streaming in through the thin curtain, though, in the late-September morning, it wasn't glaringly bright.

The males contemplated the ceiling in silence, neither really thinking much. They were content to just lie there, not doing anything and not feeling the need to.

A quiet knock on the door snapped both out of their stupor.

"Guys?" Sora poked her head in cautiously. "Oh, you are up." She opened the door a bit wider. "I thought I heard sounds from here. Anyway," she looked directly at Yamato. "I just wanted to let you know that I can take care of the cooking this morning."

"What?" Yamato sat up. "No, no, it's fine; I can do it, since I'm up."

Sora frowned. "But you've been cooking every day and you'll continue to do so. I can do breakfasts at weekends."

"Both?" Yamato offered a compromise.

Sora eyed him for a bit before smiling. "Okay." She started moving out of the room. "I'll get some stuff set up and you can join me whenever." She caught Yamato's nod before the door closed.

Yamato stood again, moving away from the bed lest Taichi try pulling him in again. Not that the bed wasn't comfortable or that it hadn't been nice to just _be_ , but there was breakfast to be made.

"I'll go for a quick shower whilst you two are busy cooking." Taichi announced, bouncing off the bed.

"Shotgun!" Yamato called, racing out before Taichi had even straightened fully.

"Hey!" Taichi ran after Yamato, only to have the bathroom door slam and lock in his face. Taichi stuck his tongue out at the piece of wood, then slunk back into his room to dig for clothes.

Yamato walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later, still in his borrowed night clothes, but with a cleaner face and teeth. He smirked at Taichi as they passed in the corridor, only to get a playful slap on the arm from the brunet.

"What did Taichi do?" Asked an amused voice as Yamato entered the kitchen.

"Huh?" Yamato blinked at Sora. She had thrown on her red apron and had apparently just finished putting the rice into the cooker.

"You looked amused by something, so I'm asking what Taichi did." She clarified, moving to the fridge.

"Oh." Yamato made a mental note to try to reply in more than one syllable words or sounds from now on. Sora seemed to let it go, though, as she laughed and muttered something about 'boys.'

Smiling, Yamato grabbed his own apron and started helping Sora with the eggs and vegetables.

They worked in silence for a minute before Sora spoke: "We haven't really told you about ourselves, have we?" Yamato's attention snapped to her, eyes wide. "I mean, general things like how old we are and where we're from."

"You don't have to…"

Sora grinned. "It's not like you're forcing it out of me." Her face softened. "I want you to get to know me better. Do we want miso soup?"

Yamato was taken aback by the abrupt change in the topic, but then he shook his head in reply.

"My favourite colour's red." Sora said, changing topics abruptly again, as she put the packets of instant soup back into the cupboard.

Yamato wasn't sure if he should reply by stating his favourite colour. Did he even have one anymore? He had in the past, before his life filled with worries and stress.

"I grew up on the outskirts of town." Sora continued, not waiting for Yamato's favourite colour. "My mother runs a flower business there, with greenhouses and huge gardens and all. She's the fourth generation of daughters to take over the business. As you heard, I didn't want to do that, so I ran away. I was 16 at the time, and that was six years ago."

"Your mother didn't come looking for you?"

Sora shook her head, checking on the rice. "I have a cousin who was more than willing to take over, so I'm not a huge loss to my mother or aunt. And I'm happy here." Sora turned to smile at Yamato. "I'm happy with my current life."

Yamato smiled at the eggs, uncertain about meeting such genuine joy he knew the mahogany eyes held.

Sora busied herself with the condiments for a while. "As a bartender, I get to hear so many stories from my customers. Some bitch about their days or bosses or spouses, but others—generally the older ones—give valuable life advice." Sora turned her full attention to Yamato. "The most valuable can be summarised by: have a close group of friends to share your troubles and smiles with."

"Seems simple." Yamato mumbled, still keeping his eyes on the eggs even though they were fine on their own.

"It sure does, but getting there is where most people run into trouble."

"Morning!" Jou called, walking in to the kitchen.

"Good morning." The cooks replied in unison.

"Food's almost ready, so go wake up the others, please." Sora said, as the rice cooker's setting clicked from 'cook' to 'warm'.

"Sure." Jou nodded, heading back out.

"Do I get food yet?" Taichi asked, walking into the kitchen whilst towelling his hair dry.

"Huh, so that's how. Interesting." Yamato commented, glancing at Taichi from the corner of his eye before turning to pull out plates.

Taichi lowered the towel around his neck. He waited a few seconds then rolled his eyes and sighed. "Elaborate!"

"Taichi, don't yell." Sora scolded, unplugging the rice cooker and taking it to the coffee table in the living room. Chuckling, Yamato followed with the plates and utensils.

"Yamato..." Taichi whined, in a much quieter voice than before.

Returning to the kitchen, Yamato grabbed the eggs and vegetables. "I had been wondering how you get your hair to stick out all over, but I guess that method of drying it answers that question."

Taichi stuck his tongue out at the blond's back, tailing him into the living room.

"The faucet in the second bathroom upstairs is doing that thing again." Meiko announced, ushering Koushiro and Hikari into the living room. "Jou and Mimi are fixing it, which is why it's taking them so long."

"What thing?" Yamato asked.

Meiko opened her mouth to answer, only to blush and change her words hurriedly: "Oh, sorry everyone: good morning!" Everyone laughed, Meiko joining in after a second.

"Morning." Yamato replied, echoed by the others. "What thing?"

"The tap is kind of loose at times and squirts water from the base."

"Oh." Yamato frowned. It didn't sound too good.

"It's okay." Sora assured, starting to spoon rice onto Koushiro's plate. "Jou and Mimi are amazing at tag-teaming the fix."

"Yes, we are!" Mimi announced, stopping to raise one arm into a bicep flex and grabbing said bicep with her hand. She winked before moving further in with Jou in tow. "The food looks great." She pecked Meiko on the cheek and gave Hikari a one-armed squeeze in greeting.

Once everyone had served themselves and settled onto the floor, Sora asked about everyone's plans. Herself, Jou, and Mimi would be working, but everyone else had the day off.

"We're going shopping; Yamato needs stuff." Taichi informed through a mouthful of food. Sora gave him a disapproving look, but acknowledged his answer with a nod.

"I don't, really…" Yamato frowned at his food. "I can manage until I get access to my money in half a year."

"So you have some money?" Jou asked.

"Well, yeah, but when I left… I guess Natsuko—my mother—froze or blocked my account or something like that. I tried getting some money out earlier, but the card was refused. My—" He swallowed heavily. "My father has a savings account set up for me. It was supposed to be for university, but…"

"It's alright!" Taichi said, grinning. "I'll provide for you until then." This caused Yamato to blush and everyone else to snort into their food.

"How's the job-hunting going?" Mimi asked Taichi, recovering from his previous statement.

"Alright." Taichi replied, chewing thoughtfully before elaborating: "I'll hear back from the park maintenance position next week. Has your boss said anything?" Taichi turned his attention to Jou at the last part.

Jou pushed his glasses up his nose and licked his lips. "Actually, he did ask me about you and your work ethic. I did put in a good word for you, since I do know you're dedicated to your job. He looked like he was seriously contemplating it."

Sora smiled. "That sounds promising."

A grin spread across Taichi's face as well. "Yeah, I would actually prefer that one, since winter as a park employee could get cold."

Hikari sighed. "I wish I was old enough to work…"

"Don't worry." Mimi said brightly, placing a hand on the younger brunette's shoulder. "You'll be 15 in a few months' time, so you can start looking for work then."

"I don't know…" Taichi started, but was interrupted by a glare from his sister. "I mean, you might want to think about education first. You don't really want to be stuck in dead-end jobs like me for the rest of your life."

"Education requires money, though, which is something we don't have." Hikari countered quietly but firmly. She reached out to start clearing away the empty plates.

"Unless you're being home-schooled." Yamato noted, passing his plate into Taichi's outstretched hand. "I could start teaching you and Koushiro a few things at home, if you'd like."

All movement stopped and everyone's eyes turned to the blond. Yamato shifted uncomfortably in the silence and spotlight, but it was thankfully broken by Hikari's bright:

"Really? You'd honestly be willing to home-school me?"

Yamato shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips. "If you want, I'd be happy to."

"Okay!" Hikari's grin widened and her brown eyes sparkled. "We'll need to buy some notebooks and pencils."

"I'll give you some money for that." Sora smiled as Jou nodded his agreement.

Mimi and Meiko exchanged nods. "We'll chip in, too."

"Thanks, everyone." Hikari said.

"Right." Taichi stood, pile of plates in his hands. "Now that that's settled, who's helping me with dishes?"

"I will." Meiko volunteered, also standing and grabbing the rice cooker and pan from the table.

With Taichi and Meiko doing the dishes, Sora and Jou went to get dressed for work. Yamato, Hikari, and Koushiro occupied the three showers; the downstairs one, the shared one upstairs, and the master bedroom's en suite.

About half an hour later, everyone was gathered in the foyer, putting on shoes and jackets.

"Sora needs to leave now and I'll be walking with her, so make sure to lock up properly, okay?" Jou said, holding the door open for his girlfriend.

"Oh, damn, that reminds me." Taichi turned, almost knocking into Yamato, who was standing behind him on one foot, trying to pull a shoe onto the other foot, whilst avoiding Mimi who was throwing a coat around her shoulders. "Yamato remember to remind me to get you a copy of the key."

"If I remember to." Yamato replied, distracted.

Echoes of 'bye' rang out as Jou and Sora left.

"It's cute that he's still walking her to work." Hikari noted, dressed in a thin light pink jacket.

Mimi snorted. "Oh, please, they haven't been going out that long; of course he's 'still' walking her to work. Honeymoon phase." She winked at the younger girl, opening the door and stepping out.

The rest of the group followed her out, noting the cool autumn breeze.

"How long have they been together?" Yamato asked, walking with Taichi to the gate.

"About a year, now." Mimi answered from behind them, followed by the two youngest.

"Only?"

"Jou only joined us three years ago." Taichi clarified. He held the gate open as everyone filed through.

"Oh." Yamato was about to say more, though he wasn't sure what. Thankfully, he was spared the need to think of something.

"Right," Mimi said, looking down the street. "I have some errands to run before I have to get to work, so you all enjoy shopping."

Another chorus of 'bye's sounded as the group split again.

"It's quite a long walk to the city centre, but we usually avoid taking buses if we can." Taichi explained, leading the way down the street in the opposite direction to Yamato's school.

Yamato nodded, knowing their money situation. Though, had they had the money to spare, Yamato would have preferred to walk anyway; the weather was good and it was relaxing listening to Taichi chatter on about mundane things, with Meiko or Hikari making an occasional comment. Koushiro, as usual, stayed silent, hand secured tightly in Hikari's.

Yamato had really missed having a normal life; hanging out with friends and not having to worry about anything. His father's lung cancer diagnosis had come two years ago and, since then, Yamato had been constantly stressed. He had pushed away most of his friends from school, only two close ones remaining now.

Yamato snapped out of his thoughts at an elbow to his arm. Blue eyes met brown.

"Alright?" Taichi asked quietly, mindful of the girls talking behind them.

An affirmation got stuck in his throat, so Yamato just nodded. He swallowed and added: "Just thinking."

"Don't." Taichi smiled, nudging him again. "Life's a lot simpler if you don't dwell on things too much."

Yamato rolled his eyes, a smile forcing itself onto his face. "I don't know if I should be taking advice from the likes of you…"

"Hey." Taichi threw a playful glare at the blond, before both burst out laughing. The girls and Koushiro gave the pair weird looks, but neither teen could explain why, exactly, they were laughing, so they didn't.

"So we're going for clothes, mainly?" Meiko asked, picking up her pace to join the boys at the front.

"Yeah, some everyday clothes and then winter stuff. Seriously, though, Yamato." Taichi said, turning to the blond. "How were you planning on surviving winter with what you have?"

Yamato frowned at his feet. "I was planning on getting a job, remember? And it's not like I really thought the whole thing through…"

"That's understandable." Meiko assured, preventing Taichi from picking a fight. "Sora said something along the same lines when she ran away—that it's not something you really plan on doing, necessarily."

"Jou had it all planned." Taichi noted.

Meiko threw him a look. "But he's Jou."

Taichi chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I guess I didn't really plan my escape all the way through, either."

"And you had more than yourself to worry about." Hikari reminded cheekily.

Taichi stopped, letting Hikari and Koushiro catch up. He threw an arm around his sister's neck, giving her a gentle noogie. "Oh hush, you." Hikari giggled and squirmed out of his hold, moving to Koushiro's other side, using him as a shield.

Meiko chuckled at the siblings' antics, then turned to Yamato. "I feel a bit bad for you; Jou was able to move out of Taichi's room and into Sora's, but we don't really have any spare beds left for you to move to when you get annoyed with Taichi."

"Hey!" Taichi barked. He shoved his hands into his cargo trouser's pockets and pouted. For all of a few seconds.

"So you and Jou were roommates?" Yamato asked as Taichi got over his pouting and joined the front again, walking next to Yamato.

"Yeah." Taichi threw Meiko a look, past Yamato. "You should have felt bad for me, you know. And now you should feel bad for Sora having to put up with him."

Yamato rolled his eyes at Taichi's statement, then he frowned and bit his lip, glancing at Meiko out of the corner of his eye. "Wha—I know it's a bit rude to ask, but… What if things don't work out between them?"

Meiko smiled reassuringly. "Then Hikari and Jou will swap rooms; it won't be a problem. Besides, Sora and Jou seem to get along well enough and they won't get tired of seeing each other because they're both working most of the time, and sharing a room is about the only time they have to spend together."

Yamato nodded. "Do you mind me asking how long you and Mimi have been together?"

"Oh, I don't mind." Meiko shook her head, dark hair flapping around. "It's been 12 years now; since our late teens. It wasn't easy moving in together almost immediately, but we worked through our differences whenever we had them."

"Try to avoid getting on the wrong side of Mimi." Taichi commented. Yamato had almost forgotten he was there. He threw a glance over his shoulder, to make sure the two youngest were still with them. They were. "She's great most of the time, but can get very bitchy very quickly, if you say or do the wrong thing."

"And what are some of these wrong things?" Yamato asked him as Meiko covered up a chuckle with a cough.

Taichi shrugged. "I don't know; it varies."

"Great." Yamato mumbled flatly.

"Don't worry; Mimi's not easy to annoy." Meiko reassured him. "Even though Taichi makes it look very easy."

Taichi leaned forward so he could see Meiko on Yamato's other side. He stuck his tongue out at her and she retaliated in kind. Taichi grinned, then looked forward again.

A few minutes later had Taichi grabbing Yamato's wrist and taking off at a run, dragging the surprised blond behind him.

"There's the store!" Taichi announced, picking up his pace.

"Taichi, wait!" Yamato stumbled, balance off from the pulling and surprise take-off.

"No waiting—now."

"But we have to wait for the others, too." Yamato finally managed to get his feet under him properly—only to crash into Taichi's back as the other stopped abruptly. "Ow."

"Sorry." Taichi muttered, turning to look at the rest of their group. "Hurry up, guys!"

Whilst they were waiting, Yamato took time to inspect their surroundings. They were standing on a busy road, surrounded by tall buildings, as was typical of most Japanese cities. A few smaller streets ran off from the main road. In one corner stood a large building with a yellow sign reading 'TreFac Style.' Treasure Factory was a chain of thrift stores—cheap and with a huge selection.

"Let's go in, then." Taichi said, snapping Yamato out of his inspection. The others had caught up and were now leading the way into the store. Taichi leaned closer to whisper to Yamato: "It's lucky we have Meiko with us. Her and Sora are really good at finding the best clothes here and they have great fashion sense. Mimi does too, but she tends to forget that she's shopping for someone other than herself. Jou refuses to come, claiming he gets anxiety attacks from how full it is."

Upon entering the store, Yamato could only blink at how crammed full the place indeed was. True to Taichi's words, Meiko seemed to know what she was doing, as she was eagerly waving Yamato over. Hikari and Koushiro had rushed off somewhere, probably to the small school supply section in the back.

"Do you have a specific style of clothing, or can I pick whatever?" Meiko asked as Yamato and Taichi got within hearing range.

Taichi answered before Yamato could: "Pick whatever you think he'll look good in." He turned to Yamato with a grin. "Trust her." Meiko nodded in agreement. Yamato shrugged in reply, never having really cared about what he wore, other than just looking presentable.

Meiko grinned, diving into the muddle of clothing. Taichi spent most of his time looking for the most ridiculous clothes he could find and trying to slip them into Yamato's 'to try on' pile. At first, the blond would just roll his eyes and put the clothes back on their racks. However, after the third trip to the changing booth, he let Taichi slip a hideous Hawaii shirt into his pile and he didn't put it back.

"Taichi!" Meiko yelled as Yamato walked out in the brightly coloured garment. Taichi, on the other hand, had burst out laughing, clapping his hands. Yamato was laughing, but his face was also coloured in embarrassment as he retreated back into the booth.

Meiko shook her head in a disappointed manner as Yamato walked out in his normal clothes. Then the three continued browsing, Meiko piling even more clothes into Yamato's arms. The blond wasn't sure how she found them all so quickly.

"Taichi, you put that down." Meiko warned, eyes narrowed at the brunet holding a purple wig. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. "Yamato!" The yell startled the blond so that he dropped a black, glittery vest. "I can't believe this: you too? Don't encourage him!"

Chuckling, the teenagers let up the game of finding the most ridiculous clothes or accessories. They still continued to point out some of the weirder garments they chanced upon, but no longer sought them out. Or tired them on, as was Yamato's case.

Almost two hours later, the group of five were out of the store, carrying three bags of clothing. Most were for Yamato, but the others had managed to find some good deals, too. Hikari was clutching a cylindrical, fabric pencil case in her hand. The case was a bit battered, but Hikari had fallen in love with the picture on it: it was of a strange-looking cat, mostly white, with yellow gloves and an abnormally long tail. Taichi had tried insisting that dinosaurs were cooler, but, with a lifetime of practise, the young girl had skilfully ignored him.

"Are you two hungry?" Meiko asked the two youngest.

"I am." Taichi informed her, eyes flying to a smaller side-street, where he knew good food stalls to be. Meiko ignored him.

"No." Hikari shook her head, mimicked by Koushiro. "But I need to use the restroom."

"Of course." Meiko smiled, opening the bag she was carrying. "Pop the pencil case in here and we'll leave the stuff with the boys." Hikari did so and Meiko handed the bag to Taichi. The girls then left to search for the nearest public bathroom.

"I'll go grab a snack." Taichi said, itching to run off to the nearest food stall—one of his favourites in this part of the city. "You want anything?" He asked Yamato, who shook his head. "'Kay, I'll be right back." And he was off.

Yamato stood on the side of the street, a bag hanging from each hand. He shifted from one foot to the other and glanced at the boy standing on his right. They were alone.

"Um, I never really properly introduced myself to you, did I?" Yamato asked Koushiro. "My name's Yamato Ishida. I'm 17 and in my final year of high school."

No acknowledgement.

"How old are you?"

Koushiro watched a mother pushing a stroller past them, but did nothing to indicate he had even realised Yamato was speaking to him.

"I know Hikari's 14. Are you the same age, Koushiro?"

Still no answer.

"What's your favourite colour?"

Nothing.

Yamato sighed, looking around the street that was getting more crowded as the morning turned to noon. "Koushiro?" Yamato tried again, but still the boy didn't even acknowledge the name. "I promised to teach Hikari some maths and other subjects. Would you be interested in learning, too?"

Koushiro's silent treatment was really starting to sting. Yamato knew the boy had problems socialising—even with Taichi—but it still hurt. More so when Koushiro immediately acknowledged Taichi upon his return. The boy didn't say anything, no, but his eyes found Taichi and his posture relaxed a fraction.

"The girls aren't back yet?" Taichi asked once he was within hearing range. Yamato shook his head in reply and Taichi shrugged, offering Koushiro one of the skewered fishcakes he had bought. Koushiro shook his head, so Taichi made the same offer to Yamato. Yamato, too, shook his head and Taichi shrugged, biting off a corner.

"Um." The three males turned to look at Meiko, who had just returned with Hikari. "We were thinking that it might be best to take the bus back, since we have so much stuff to carry and we've been walking so much."

Taichi shrugged, dropping his now-empty skewer into the nearest bin. "I don't mind either way."

"Maybe the three of you could take the bags home on the bus and Taichi and I will walk?" Yamato tried, knowing that saving even the few hundred yen of his and Taichi's bus fares would help.

"You sure?" Meiko asked, taking the bags from Yamato's hands. The blond nodded and Meiko smiled. "Okay. We'll see you two at home, then." Waving their goodbyes, the trio started towards the nearest bus stop.

"See ya." Taichi said, not really caring whether they heard. He bit into another fishcake and offered the last one to Yamato again. "You'll need the energy. Or something. I got it for you, anyway, so…" Yamato took it, turning away to hide the happiness in his eyes.

The two walked and ate in leisurely silence, making their way through the busy streets. It wasn't until they turned onto a less crowded road that Taichi spoke:

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Yamato snapped out of his stupor. He took a few moments to blink at the ground he had been staring at. He chewed on the wooden skewer, thinking back and realising he had no idea what he'd been thinking about.

"What's wrong?" Taichi repeated, since Yamato wasn't speaking. "I mean, not now, but earlier you looked like something was bothering you. What was it? Something I can help with?"

Yamato frowned, still not looking at his companion. "Earlier, when?" He asked, skewer hanging out of the side of his mouth.

"When I went to get a snack. I came back and you seemed a bit down. Did something happen? Did someone say something to you?"

"Oh."

Taichi frowned as they walked along. He had already learned that Yamato was shit at elaborating, but this was worse than shit. "Seriously, did someone say something to you? Who was it?" Taichi looked over his shoulder, as if they were still on the same street or as if the person would announce themselves.

"No one said anything to me." Yamato mumbled, eyes still glued to the asphalt.

Taichi's head whipped back to the blond. "Then what happened?"

Yamato lifted a shoulder in an indifferent shrug. "That's just it."

The brunet stopped, head cocked to the side. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means just that." Yamato replied, slowing to let Taichi catch up again.

Letting out a huge sigh, Taichi draped himself over Yamato from behind. "Will you stop being so cryptic!" Taichi whined, swinging Yamato back and forth bodily.

"Taichi, stop." Yamato snapped, pulling at the arms wrapped around his chest. "You're being an idiot in public—stop."

Taichi let go, moving to walk next to Yamato. "Explain, then, and I won't do it again."

Yamato rolled his eyes at the threat, though he relented as he didn't want a repeat of earlier. "I mean that Koushiro wasn't talking to me at all, even though I asked him something and tried to talk." Realising he sounded rude, Yamato hurriedly added: "I know that he has trouble socialising, but I just thought that he might at least answer one question or something. It's not really a big deal, but I just wanted to try talking to him for a bit."

Through Yamato's rambling, Taichi had kept a contemplative look on his face and when he spoke, it was with clear deliberation: "He doesn't talk a lot normally, but even less so when we're out in public. It's not just you; he hasn't said a word to me either—ever—when we've been out. He might reply with one-word answers if Hikari asks him something, but sometimes even she gets the silent treatment when we're out." Taichi smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it."

Yamato nodded, though he wasn't convinced; Koushiro hadn't even acknowledged him. He started at the feeling of another hand in his. He met with a pair of brown eyes as the hand gave a squeeze. "Give it time."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

-o-

A/N: Sorry this has taken so long to get out… But out it is, so read on!

Taiyama week 2018 is coming up (May 14-27). I'll likely be working on those prompts, so the next chapter of this and 'Fallen Angel' will take another forever and a day, or week, or year—sorry!

-o-o-o-

"So how was shopping?" Sora asked as she settled for dinner onto the floor between Mimi and Meiko.

The teenage boys, sitting across from her, looked at each other with mirth in their eyes and smirks on their faces. Meiko, recalling the same trip, rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly, though a smile played at her lips.

"It was good." Hikari answered, sitting by the window with Koushiro. "Yamato got clothes—we got some new ones, too, for winter. And me and Koushiro got school supplies for when Yamato starts teaching us." She grinned over at Yamato, who smiled back.

"That's good." Sora smiled at her and then returned to her meal.

"So you got your key?" Jou asked the blond sitting next to him.

Everyone except Sora and Jou froze, some with food halfway to their mouths. Meiko, Taichi, and Yamato exchanged wide-eyed stares.

"I told you to remind me!" Taichi yelled at Yamato.

"And I told you I would if I remembered to!" Yamato retaliated.

"How did we all manage to forget?" Meiko groaned.

"Well, Taichi's always irresponsible, so that's explained." Hikari chimed in, sticking her tongue out at her brother.

"Not like you were responsible and remembered." Taichi stuck his tongue out at her, too.

Jou let out a large breath, pushing his glasses up before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Maybe take a shopping list next time?"

"Nah." Taichi waved the suggestion off. "It's more fun without."

"But a list would make shopping more economical." Jou rebutted. "Winter will be upon us soon, so we need to start saving elsewhere, so that we can afford heating."

"Not to mention we won't be able to grow our own vegetables anymore." Sora added, thinking of their small vegetable patch in the backyard.

"Oh, that reminds me." Meiko said, turning to Sora. "One of Mimi and my colleagues was talking about getting rid of her small greenhouse and I told her that we could take it. I spoke to Mimi and she's up for keeping vegetables going throughout the winter."

Sora perked up. "Really?" Meiko nodded and Sora and Jou exchanged smiles.

"How are we getting it here, though?" Jou asked between bites.

"She said her husband could bring it here with his trailer. They don't even want any money for it—they just want to get rid of it."

"That sounds really good." Sora said softly.

"So, wait." Yamato said, looking from Meiko to Sora. "Mimi's 'up for keeping vegetables going'? Mimi takes care of the gardening?"

"Yes." Sora answered simply.

"Oh." Yamato looked down at his nearly empty plate and bit his lip. "I thought you took care of it, what with your background and all…"

Sora tilted her head, smiling kindly. "Well, it's not like I don't know how to, but Mimi loves gardening." Sora let out a laugh. "Surprisingly, she enjoys getting her hands dirty."

"She loves all plants." Meiko added with an affectionate look on her face. "She talks to them and pets them and tells them all that they're pretty. You should go with her one day; it's a whole new side of her."

-o-o-o-

"Ugh, I can't believe the amount of homework I got for maths!" A purple-haired girl with large round glasses complained, whilst taking a seat in the school cafeteria. "I have afterschool activities, too!"

Yamato smiled, already seated at his small group's usual table. He was in a different class from his two best friends, but at least they still had lunch together.

"It's just busy-work, though, isn't it?" He tried to console. "It won't take you that long to answer all the questions, Miyako."

"Unlike me." Joined in a male voice. "I'm not as clever as her—or you—so it'll take me forever to get through all the problems."

The male took a seat next to Yamato, across from Miyako, and dug into his food immediately.

Miyako made a face. "Geeze, Daisuke, calm down, we have plenty of time to eat."

"No time." Daisuke informed between quick bites. "I need to get started on this homework if I want to have it done by tomorrow's class."

"Why can't you just do it at home?" Yamato asked, chewing his food thoroughly.

"Can't." Daisuke said.

Yamato and Miyako exchanged amused looks.

"Yes," Miyako emphasised. "We gathered as much, but why? You need to elaborate."

A smile graced Yamato's face for a second, upon recalling Taichi always telling him the same.

"What?" Daisuke's tone held a teasing amusement.

With a slight delay, Yamato realised that Daisuke's question was aimed at him. "What 'what'?"

Daisuke's brown eyes held a mischievous glint. "What's that smile for? Something you'd like to share, hm?"

Yamato felt his face heat up. "What are you talking about?"

"That smile." Daisuke repeated. "Looked like you were thinking of something nice—or someone."

"Ooh." Miyako chimed in. "Does our little 'Mato have a crush on someone?" Miyako's long hair whisked around as she scanned their surroundings. "Did she just walk in or something?"

"No." Yamato stated firmly. "There is no one and Daisuke's just making stuff up. Again. He's just avoiding the real question." Yamato's tone changed to a teasing one. "Maybe he has a date tonight, which is why he doesn't have time to do his homework at home."

"Ooh!" Miyako, eyes ablaze, turned to Daisuke. "Is that it? Spill the beans!"

"What?!" Daisuke pushed backwards in his chair, as if putting himself further from Miyako physically would deter the girl. "There's nothing like that going on!" He flicked some of his rice at Miyako when she opened her mouth. "I just have a video game going that I want to beat. I had to stop last night because my mum yelled at me to go to sleep, but I'm so close to finishing! I just need a few more hours and then I'll be done."

"A video game? Really?" Yamato slumped back in his chair. "Hasn't anyone ever taught you to prioritise?"

"Yes and that's why I tried to eat fast, so I could start on the homework and at least get part of it done before going home. But you guys held me up."

Miyoko gave him a flat look. "So you have no intention of doing any of the work at home?"

"Nope." Daisuke said, finishing off his lunch and pushing his tray aside. He pulled out his math book and a battered notebook, opening both. "I'll try to get some done in literature in the afternoon, too."

Yamato rolled his eyes, mumbling: "Whatever."

The table was quiet for a few minutes, Daisuke working on his homework and Miyako and Yamato eating at a moderate pace.

"Say," Daisuke started, chewing on the end of his pencil and looking at Yamato. "We haven't really hung out together in a really long time. We should do something after school today or tomorrow or sometime this week. It's been almost a year since we've really hung out together. Let's go for ice cream or coffee or something after school today."

"Am I not invited?" Miyako asked from across the table, looking insulted, though both males knew she wasn't.

"No." Daisuke said, sticking out his tongue at her. "So how about it, 'Mato?"

"Ah, I can't really hang out today. Maybe some other day? And you have a video game to get to, anyway."

"Hey! You just told me off for not prioritising. Well, now I'm prioritising you over my video game, so you should appreciate that."

Miyako smirked. "Instead you're getting rejected."

Daisuke threw his pencil at the girl. "Shut up."

Yamato chuckled at his friends' antics, taking another bite of his food.

"Besides—and give me my pencil back—I wasn't rejected; I was just moved to a later day. Right, Yamato?"

"Yeah, we'll see."

"Ree-jec-teed." Miyako sing-sang.

"Ugh." Daisuke complained. "I ran out of things to throw at you. You never returned my pencil."

"Sucks to be you."

"Just give it back, Miyako. I need it to finish my work."

"Is this the only pencil you have?" Miyako twirled the pencil in her hands, inspecting it. "Ew!" She threw it at Daisuke. "You've been chewing on it—gross!"

Daisuke smirked, returning to his work.

-o-

"Yamato!"

Yamato groaned lightly. He had easily managed to avoid Daisuke after lunch, as they were in separate classes. But now the energetic teen was running down the hallways, calling Yamato's name.

Daisuke landed heavily on Yamato's back, almost knocking both of them to the floor on their faces.

"Watch it." Yamato complained, shrugging his shoulders a few times to try and dislodge the other male.

"Did you think you could escape from me that easily?" Daisuke asked cheekily, still draped over Yamato's back.

"I did hope." Was Yamato's mumbled reply.

"Oh, why must you hurt me so?" Daisuke lamented loudly, attracting the attention of a few other students still in the hallway. Thankfully, though, he had removed himself from Yamato's back. "So you coming round to mine today or should we head to yours? Or just hang out somewhere else for the rest of the afternoon?"

Yamato's eyes fell to the floor as he started towards the main doors again. "I don't think I'll be able to make it today… Or for a while. Sorry, Daisuke."

Daisuke's frown turned more into a squint as the pair walked out into the sunshine. "We used to hang out all the time, you know—"

"I know, but things are different; so much has changed in the past few months…"

"Look," Daisuke paused in his steps, making Yamato, next to him, stop as well. "I know you just lost your dad and are feeling down about it, but that's no reason to stop spending time with your friends. You need to start looking on the bright side of things again." Daisuke turned his whole body towards Yamato and took both the blonds hands into his. "You need to allow yourself to be happy again."

The two stared at each other for a minute before Yamato gently pulled his hands away and continued walking. "I'm not unhappy, Daisuke. In fact," Yamato thought about his current situation. "I'm actually quite happy with how things are now. Yes, it still hurts, but I'm moving on and—"

Taichi.

Mimi. Sora.

Meiko.

Jou.

Koushiro. Hikari.

He was meeting new people and starting to be glad of his decision to take the vocational route. Once upon a time, he had dreamt of going further with his education, maybe even achieving the title of 'Doctor' before he turned 30.

But right now, he just wanted to help his new friends. He wanted to give back to the people who had helped him at his lowest point.

Right now, he just wanted to see Hikari and Koushiro through their high school education, so that they could have better lives. Four or five years would be all it would take. Right now, Yamato was more than willing to invest his time into helping the others.

Hell, he could always continue his education a few years down the line, if he still wanted that. In fact, at a few years older, he would know better what he wants to do with his life.

"Yamato!"

Yamato started, snapping out of his thoughts. He turned, annoyed, to face Daisuke. "What?"

"You back?" Daisuke's eyes held such concern that Yamato's annoyance deflated.

"Yeah, let's keep walking."

Daisuke didn't move.

"What's up?"

"Are you planning on walking home? Don't you live with your mum now and doesn't she live really far away? I thought you took a bus or something in the mornings."

Yamato's eyes widened briefly, before he pulled his face into neutral. "Yeah, but I can take a bus from somewhere around your place. I thought that, since we can't hang out, I can at least walk you home."

Daisuke grinned and took a few running steps to catch up. "Yes!" He threw an arm around Yamato's shoulders. "Thanks man." Daisuke gave a long squeeze. "I really have missed spending time with you."

"Yeah…" Yamato mumbled. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it; I know you've had it rough." Daisuke assured with another squeeze and an easy smile. Though in the blink of an eye, the arm as well as the mood dropped. "I just wish you'd rely on me a bit more. I want to help, but I can't unless you tell me things and trust me to be able to help."

Yamato cringed at the pang he felt in his heart. "I'm sorry, Daisuke. I do trust you, but I just…" Yamato fished around for the right words, eventually going with: "See? I don't even know what to say now." He shook his head, eyes on the ground. "I'm just no good with words or sharing my thoughts or feelings."

Daisuke reached over to grab Yamato's hand, making the blond look up into reassuring coffee-coloured eyes. "I know."

-o-

Yamato let out a deep breath as he rang the bell of his new home.

"You're back later than usual." Hikari commented upon opening the door and walking backwards a few paces.

"That's cause he was hanging out with his boyfriend after school." Taichi announced, walking up behind Hikari, grinning from ear to ear.

Redness rushed up to Yamato's face as he dropped his head to toe off his shoes. "What on Earth are you talking about? I wasn't and I don't even have a boyfriend."

Taichi kept the grin on his face as he watched Yamato. Hikari rolled her eyes, already growing tired of the conversation and moved back into the living room to do some school work.

"If that wasn't your boyfriend, then who was it, huh? You two were awfully close and touchy to not be dating."

Yamato shoved past Taichi and into the living room, a frown on his face. "What were you doing spying on me?"

"I wasn't." Was Taichi's easy reply. "I was walking past the school and thought that we could walk home together, but you already had company—very good company, by the look of things."

"Would you just stop that?" Yamato snapped, turning sharply, toe to toe with Taichi. "He's a friend and that's it." Then Yamato turned back towards the living room and his voice took on a more gentle tone. "How are you getting on with your work, Hikari? And where's Koushiro?"

"Alright. This level is something I can do, though some problems need a bit more time. Koushiro finished ages ago, so he's in our room."

"Hm." Yamato kneeled on the floor, facing Hikari, and started looking over Koushiro's abandoned work. "These are very detailed…"

"He has a very analytical mind."

"Clearly." Yamato affirmed Hikari's statement. "I can only get him so far and then we'll need outside help… And Taichi stop pestering me!"

Taichi jumped back from where he had been looking at the papers over Yamato's shoulder.

"What?" Taichi protested. "I was just checking on Koushiro's work."

Yamato's eyes narrowed. "No you weren't."

Taichi smirked. "What was I doing then?"

"Well, I don't know, but I know that checking Koushiro's work wasn't it."

Taichi crossed his arms over his chest, eyes on the kneeling Yamato. "So what you're saying is that your other friend can be really close to you, bu—"

"Didn't I tell you to drop it?!" Yamato snapped to his feet, marching into the kitchen. "I'm going to start cooking. Hikari, bring me your work when you're done and we can go over the parts you struggled with. And Taichi, don't follow me."

Taichi, who had just been slinking towards the kitchen, deflated, letting his posture sag. "You're no fun." He called out, sticking his tongue out towards the kitchen, even though he knew Yamato couldn't see him. His eyes flew down to his little sister, who's face held a contemplative look. "What?"

Hikari just rolled her eyes and returned to her work.

-o-

"Did anything interesting happen to anyone today?" Mimi asked when most of the 'family' were seated around the coffee table; only Jou, Sora, and Meiko were at work. Monday was Mimi's only day off.

"Not really." Hikari said around a mouthful of food. "Though me and Koushiro are starting our homeschooling properly tomorrow. We did some exercises to establish our level and now Yamato knows where to start."

"That sounds great!" Mimi said with a broad smile, genuinely glad that the young girl would have the chance to get proper education.

"I saw Yamato's boyfriend." Taichi butted in, throwing a grin Yamato's way.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Yamato bristled, grip tightening around his fork.

"Chill." Mimi grinned. "It's not like we're homophobic or anything."

"It's not…" Yamato started, though he wasn't sure how to explain the situation.

Mimi seemed to have come up with something else already. A grin formed on her face. "Ooh! So you two had something going in the past, but are no longer together, but you might want to be?"

"No, not that either…"

"You're not gay." Taichi stated neutrally. "That's okay, too. It's not like it matters at all which way you swing. I'm also straight."

Mimi nodded in affirmation and Taichi grinned, but Yamato had difficulty swallowing around a sudden lump in his throat. He didn't know why. Maybe because he had never really thought about his sexuality before and he was nervous about labelling himself? Though that didn't sound right…

"Yamato?"

Yamato started at Mimi's gentle inquiry. "Sorry." He looked down at his half-empty plate, trying to find the words. "I'm just…" He paused again, shrugging a shoulder, and shoving a forkful of food into his mouth. He took his time chewing, whilst everyone waited in silence, eating their own meal. "I just don't really like labelling myself—or anyone else for that matter." He shrugged again. "I just like who I like and that's it."

Hikari smiled encouragingly whist her brother nodded.

Mimi grinned mischievously. "So you just like this guy. No labels attached, just attraction."

Taichi gave a bark of laugh and Yamato's face reddened.

"It's not like that. I don't actually like him. Not romantically."

"Oh." Mimi seemed disappointed, though she quickly put a smile on her face. "Anyone you do like, then?"

"Mimi!" Hikari scolded, though she was fighting to keep a smile off her face.

"What?" Mimi shifted her gaze to the younger girl. "It's been ages since we've had fresh love affairs around this place. No woman in their right mind wants Taichi, and most others are taken. You and Koushiro are too young for romance."

Hikari stuck out her tongue. "No where's not."

"Oh?" Mimi had a sly look on her face. "Are you interested in someone? You haven't mentioned this before."

"She's not." Taichi butted in, sending a quick glare at Hikari.

"Oh?" Hikari shot back. "And what would you do about it if I _was_ interested in someone?"

Taichi straightened his back, pulling on an aura of authority. "There is absolutely nothing I could do about it, as a matter of fact."

Everyone laughed before settling back to their meals. The silence lasted for a few minutes before Mimi's eyes found Yamato again.

"You never answered my question." She smirked at the blond.

Yamato nearly choked on his food, having thought that he'd gotten off the hook. "What question was that?"

"Who do you like?"

"No one." Yamato's reply was firm and he was quite sure he wasn't lying.

-o-o-o-

"Yamato."

Surprised, Yamato stopped and turned, waiting for Miyako to catch up to him in front of the school.

"What's up?" Yamato asked, playing it cool, though he was slightly tense, annoyed that he was being—yet again—harassed by one of his friends after school. Daisuke had soccer practice, so he had been easy to get rid of, but it seemed Miyako had taken his position.

"Not much. I was just wondering whether you're really okay, you know? I know you keep telling us that you are, but you seem kinda different and, like, off. And you know that you can always talk to me and Daisuke and not have to worry about what we think and stuff, yeah?" Miyako tone was soft, which was rare for the normally exuberant girl. Mind you, she was a caring friend, but it rarely showed in the way she spoke.

The defensiveness fell from Yamato's demeanour and a small smile graced his lips. "I know, Miyako, I know. And thanks." Yamato's eyes fell to his shoes as he scuffed his toes against the ground. "I know I've been a bit different, but with everything that happened… And I'm still trying to get used to my new life."

"Yeah…" Miyako said sympathetically.

Blue eyes met light brown and Yamato smiled. "I'm getting better."

Miyako returned the smile with a broad one, eyes squeezing shut. "That's good to hear!" Miyako's manner softened again as she turned, throwing over her shoulder: "Well, if you're getting better on your own, then I'll be off." She managed two semi-running steps before halting. "Isn't that your brother?"

Yamato's widened eyes followed Miyako's pointing finger. A lanky blond stood by the school gates, shifting awkwardly.

"Shit." Yamato mumbled.

"Huh?" Miyako's hair flicked across her face as her head snapped to face Yamato. "Um, why? I thought you two got along well."

"Oh." Yamato's eyes widened even more as he realised his mistake. "Uh, it's just that I kind of forgot that we were supposed to be doing something today." Yamato put a sheepish look on his face. "I just can't believe I forgot something like that."

"I can't believe it either." Miyako frowned. Then her face brightened in a smile. "At least that's what I would have said months ago. These days, though…" Her eyes twinkled in jest.

"Hey." Yamato gave her a shove, then blanched as he realised that Takeru had spotted the elder blond. "Well…" Yamato hedged, staring at his feet. "I guess we should get going, huh?"

Miyako nodded and bounced off with a wave. Thankfully, she had left in the opposite direction, towards the back gates. Yamato was tempted to follow her. Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets and started marching, head down, towards the gates.

"Yamato—" Takeru started, hand reaching out to his brother's shoulder, but never contacting as Yamato jerked away.

Yamato continued walking and Takeru watched him for a few steps before catching up.

"Yamato."

Takeru didn't seem to know what he was supposed to say, if the repetition of Yamato's name was any indication. The younger probably hadn't planned this meeting or had not expected to actually run into Yamato.

The two continued to walk in silence, in the opposite direction to Yamato's new home.

"Yamato…"

Yamato turned them down a quiet alley, stopping halfway down and turning to Takeru. He crossed his arms over his chest, fixing the younger with a piercing look. "Whatever it is you want, forget it."

"Yamato..."

Yamato waited, but it seemed his earlier suspicions had been confirmed: Takeru had not planned this encounter.

Letting his hands drop to his sides and releasing a long breath, Yamato half-turned. "If that was all, then please go home. I'll see you to the bus stop—"

"No." Takeru had apparently found his tongue and, thus, his extended vocabulary. "I'm not leaving until you tell me why you did."

The brothers stared at each other for a few minutes in silence.

Yamato closed his eyes and turned to face Takeru, looking defeated. "I left because I don't want to be somewhere I'm not welcome. And she doesn't want me there."

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is."

Takeru opened his mouth again, but Yamato gave him a meaningful look.

"Takeru, you know she hates me. You were there when she realised I wasn't coming back. I bet she was thrilled."

Takeru bit his lip.

"She was, wasn't she? Did she throw a party when she realised she would never have to see me again? When she realised she was finally rid of the biggest mistake of her life?"

"Yamato… Stop."

Yamato's eyes narrowed. "She never wanted me, you know. Not when I was born and especially not after dad…" Yamato trailed off, still not ready to speak of his father's fate.

"I'm sure she loved you when you were born. You _were_ her firstborn…" Takeru didn't sound too sure.

"Do you know why dad was such a workaholic?"

Takeru shook his head, slightly surprised at the turn of the conversation.

"It's because he had to take time off work when I was born so that he could look after me." Yamato's tone was harsh as he recalled what he'd been told about the first years of his life. "She didn't want anything to do with me—she kept working. Dad had gone to his boss to ask to work from home, but he was given paid time off instead. I was put into daycare when I turned two so dad could return to work and he felt like he owed his boss for the year he got off and that's why he worked so hard for the rest of his life. She didn't want anything to do with me."

Takeru bit his lip, looking at his feet. He knew his mother had taken care of him, working from home and even taking some unpaid days off, just to care for Takeru. It had never crossed his mind that his elder brother never gotten the same treatment.

"Come on." Yamato's tone returned to neutral. "Let's go before you worry her."

Takeru hung his head, dragging his feet as he followed his brother. He didn't know what to say or do; he hadn't known what to say since seeing Yamato after so long. Now he just didn't know what to do with the information he had received.

"Here."

Takeru started at Yamato's voice. They were at a bus stop. He looked at his brother, who refused to look back.

A minute later, Takeru boarded a bus without saying a word.

Yamato watched the bus leave, standing on the curb well after it was out of sight.

"Who was that?"

The voice startled Yamato so badly he actually jumped a few inches, then turned sharply, eyes narrow.

Yamato worked his face and tone into neutral: "Taichi."

Taichi cocked his head, inspecting the blond. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you by just appearing... Who was that kid?"

Yamato's eyes shifted quickly from the road the bus had been on, back to Taichi. He frowned. "No one." He shoved his hands into his pockets again, much like he had not an hour ago when he had ignored Takeru.

He started walking off, still not moving towards his current home— _their_ home.

Taichi caught up, casually putting his hands into his pockets. "Looked a bit like you. Brother? Cousin?"

"I said: no one."

"Most people are someone." Taichi didn't seem deterred by Yamato's rudeness and clear avoidance of the subject. "I bet it was your brother wanting you to go back home."

Yamato made a sharp right turn, not speaking.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

Still Yamato didn't speak, marching ahead.

"Why not just admit that I'm right?"

"…shut up."

Taichi followed as Yamato made another turn—this time left—into a more crowded street.

"Do you miss home?"

"Just shut up."

"It's okay if you do."

"Shut. Up."

Taichi quirked an eyebrow at Yamato, but then his face relaxed again as his eyes returned to the street and people ahead.

"I would miss Hikari if we were separated. That's why I was adamant about us being adopted together or not at all. Ended up being 'not at all' what with Koushiro. Would have been nice, though, if even one of us had gotten a loving family. Maybe it was selfish of me to want to stick together, but what's done is done. None of the three of us can go back." Taichi paused. "You could."

Yamato picked up his pace, shoulders moving closer to his ears.

"I know you hate your mother, but your brother seems to at least care about you. I mean, he did come out of his way to find you and you two don't seem to go to the same school, so it must have taken a lot of effort to meet you. I'd understand if you want to go back with him."

Yamato stopped moving. A few passersby bumped into him, mumbling something that sounded like apologies.

"What?" Taichi asked. He, too, stopped a few paces in front of Yamato. "Do you want to?" Taichi's tone held some sadness, but then he worked his mouth into a smile. "I'll miss you, but you probably miss your brother, so if you want to go back to take care of him, then you should." Taichi dropped his gaze to the ground, his tone sombre: "You don't owe us anything, if that's what's keeping you from going back…"

"I don't—" Yamato started saying before he burst into a sprint.

Taichi's head snapped up and he stood stunned for a few seconds, but then he rushed into the crowd in the same direction Yamato had run off. It shouldn't be hard to spot a blond in the mass of dark-haired people, right?

Right…?

After half an hour of searching, Taichi had to admit that he had been wrong. He had no idea where Yamato had gone or how he had managed to disappear like that.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

-o-

A/N: Sorry, again, for the delay in getting this out!

-o-o-o-o-o-

 _He doesn't want me there._

That was the only thought racing through Yamato's mind, as the teen himself raced through the crowd.

Yamato didn't really know how long he had been running for. All he knew was that he was completely out of breath and sweat was trickling down his back and forehead. He was still in his school uniform, which was making him even hotter. He leaned his head to the right, wiping away the perspiration from his temple and onto the fabric covering his shoulder.

Glancing around at his surroundings, Yamato walked over to a swing set. He sat down, grabbing the chains and lightly pushing off the ground. The gentle swaying of the swing calmed his nerves somewhat.

It was the same playground he had been sleeping in before Jou had found him. Six days ago.

The swig stopped moving abruptly.

Had it really only been six days?

Yamato brought a hand down from the chain, staring at his palm. Yes, it had indeed been less than a week. Why did it feel like he had known everyone for so much longer? How did he already feel happy? Not even a month had passed since his father's passing.

His hand went up to grab the chain again and the swing started moving.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair for Taichi to make him feel like he belonged, only to rip that away from him.

The swing picked up pace.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair for Taichi to make him feel so many things, only to have those shoved back in his face like they meant nothing.

The swing kept climbing higher.

It just wasn't fair.

Yamato had literally been carried into the home and made to stay—

But wait.

The swing slowed and stopped.

Hadn't they said that Yamato could stay until he found somewhere else? Hadn't they said that he could stay until he'd decided about his future accommodations?

Yamato's hands fell from the chains.

Hadn't one of the first things Taichi asked him been about when he'd go back?

Had Taichi deliberately forgotten to make a spare key for him? Had Meiko? The woman didn't strike Yamato as forgetful or irresponsible, so had it been on purpose?

Yamato continued staring at the ground.

A father and his child passed by, but didn't enter the playground. In the few nights Yamato had spent there, no one had ventured in. The emptiness had been what had drawn Yamato to the playground in the first place. He had figured that no one would bother him if there were no visitors to the area.

Yamato would have lived alone under the slide. He would have stayed there until he either froze to death or found accommodation he could have afforded.

Instead, Taichi had dragged him out of there.

Yamato pushed at the ground, starting the swing in motion again.

It came back to Taichi, didn't it?

Jou had been the one to find him, sure, but Taichi had bodily moved him out of the playground.

Taichi had worried about Yamato. Taichi had shared his bed with Yamato. Taichi had promised to 'provide' for Yamato.

Why was Taichi shoving it all in his face now, and telling Yamato to move back?

Yamato almost fell off the swing as the one next to his rattled and he heard a quiet "hey."

Yamato's head swivelled to look at the newcomer. Blue met brown.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

The words triggered something in Yamato's memory. It had been an hour or so since he had last heard a statement like that. Taichi had surprised him after Takeru had left. And he had apologised with more-or-less the same phrase.

"Yamato? Did you hear a word I just said?"

The blond was startled out of his thoughts and his eyes returned to the brown ones of his friend.

"Sorry, I was…" He didn't know how to finish that one, so his eyes fell to the ground again.

A gentle hand fell on Yamato's shoulder.

"Please talk to me."

"…I don't know what to say…"

"Tell me what's hurting you!"

The other swing rattled and soon Yamato found himself staring upwards at the figure standing in front of him.

"Daisuke…"

"Please tell me what's hurting you this bad." Daisuke's eyes were teary. "I want to help, but I can't unless you tell me how."

"I'm not hurting—"

"Bullshit! I know you are. I can see it, Yamato. So cut the crap and _talk_ to me. I'm your best friend, for fuck's sake, and I—" Daisuke cut himself off, forcing his emotions under control. He took a deep breath. "I care about you and I want to help. I know talking about it will help. I know it doesn't seem like it would, but a problem shared really is a problem halved. Please, Yamato."

Yamato bit his lip, still staring up into the face of his best friend. "I'm sorry, Daisuke—"

"Is it your mother? I know you don't like her, so is that it? Is she treating you badly? Do you want to spend a few nights at my place? You can come over whenever you want. Even in the middle of the night. Anytime."

Daisuke's eyes were full of such sincerity that Yamato had to look away. He didn't say anything.

With a barely audible sigh, Daisuke kneeled down, placing his hands on Yamato's knees.

"Is it school?" Daisuke continued his guessing, though with a much gentler voice. "I know you never planned on taking the vocational route. Is that what's bothering you?"

At last, Yamato shook his head.

"Okay," Daisuke said, nodding. "We're getting somewhere."

Yamato's lips turned up in a slight smile. This was the Daisuke Yamato knew; always throwing a speck of humour into even the tightest situation.

"So _is_ it a family problem?"

Yamato hesitated. He wasn't ready to tell Daisuke about his current living situation. Not yet.

Yamato nodded.

"Good, good." Daisuke was nodding again, glad he was getting somewhere with Yamato. "Are you being treated unfairly?"

"I'm not wanted there."

It was the truth, but it also wasn't _all_ of the truth.

All traces of humour vanished from Daisuke's eyes and he gave Yamato's knees a squeeze. Yamato had gotten so used to the warmth of the hands that he'd forgotten about them altogether.

"Like I said, you can come over to my place anytime you want. Or just call me if you need anything. Even if you just want someone to tell you that you're wanted. I'll never push you away."

Yamato let his hands fall from the chains and onto Daisuke's. He gave the tanner hands a squeeze.

"Thank you." It was meant to come out as sincere, but it sounded quite choked to Yamato's own ears. He hoped Daisuke got the message.

Daisuke smiled and stood up. He stretched his arms above his head. "Do you want me to walk you to the bus stop? Or do you want to spend the night tonight?"

Yamato shook his head, also getting up from the swing.

"Sure?"

"Yeah, thanks, though."

"Anytime. And I really mean that."

Yamato wasn't sure why, but he leaned towards Daisuke and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Thank you," he whispered, pulling back.

As Daisuke walked off in a daze, Yamato had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep a huge grin from splitting his face. It was nice to feel wanted.

"I thought he wasn't your boyfriend." Came another voice from behind Yamato.

With a roll of his eyes, Yamato shoved his hands into his pockets and started towards one of the gates out of the playground. "I can change my mind, Taichi."

Taichi frowned and took a few running steps to catch up to Yamato. "Sure you can, but you were so adamant abou—"

"Shove it."

There was a grin in Taichi's voice: "Where and how hard?"

Yamato stopped walking, glaring at Taichi. "I thought you were straight," he mocked.

Taichi just shrugged, continuing to walk, past Yamato, towards their home. "You know, I looked everywhere for you. I was actually _worried_ , and all along you were here fooling around with your boyfriend."

Yamato still didn't move, crossing his arms. "I wasn't 'fooling around,' as you put it. And he's not my boyfriend."

"I thought you changed your mind," Taichi mimicked Yamato's earlier mocking tone. He, too, had stopped walking. Taichi let out a sigh. "Come on, everyone's waiting for us."

"You go ahead."

Taichi's eyes narrowed. "Don't make me drag you home. I've carried you out of this playground once, I can do it again."

Yamato's arms fell to his sides, fists and teeth clenched tight. His eyes were shimmering in the fluorescent light of the lamps. "Would you just make up your fucking mind?" He gritted out, trying to glare and blink the tears away at the same time.

Frowning in concern, Taichi took a few steps back towards Yamato. "What are you on about?"

"You!"

" _What_ about me?" Taichi near-shouted back.

"Do you want me there or don't you? Make up your mind!"

"The fuck are you on about? Want you where?"

"At home—your place—Mimi's house—whatever. You carry me there, then you ask me when I'll be leaving, then you treat me like I'm part of the group, and now you're asking when I'll be moving back in with Takeru. How am I supposed to underst—"

"What. The. Hell?" Taichi stomped forward, standing face-to-face with Yamato now. "Why is this a fucking problem? Why would it even matter what I think and where I want you? It's your life and I couldn't care less—"

"See?" Yamato's face was turning a darker shade of red by the second and his fists were clenched so tight his fingernails were cutting into his palms. "This is what you're doing constantly! You keep giving me signals—"

"What 'signals?' I'm not giving you any damn—"

"Yes, you are! I ran away from my brother's because I'm not wanted there! I'm not fucking going to live in yet another place I'm not wanted! Do you have any idea how it feels to not be wanted? To not have a place to call 'home.' To be a fucking nuisance to every fucking person you meet. To never—"

Taichi cut Yamato off by wrapping him in a hug. He didn't know what to say.

Yamato buried his face into Taichi's shoulder, breathing strained and heavy.

"I," Taichi started, but left it at that. He only squeezed harder and started rubbing at Yamato's back. "Let's just go home, okay? We'll talk about this later; the others are probably worried." Taichi released Yamato from the hug, but kept a hold on the other's wrist. He gave a light tug, but waited for Yamato to take the first step.

Together, they left the park and took the shortcut home. It really was getting late…

-o-

"I really am sorry," Yamato was saying for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. He was in the kitchen with Jou and Sora, Taichi having retreated to their room after inhaling his dinner.

"I keep telling you it's fine;" Jou assured, "we ate the leftovers from the freezer. We don't expect you to be home early every single day. You are allowed to have fun with your friends and do other things after school."

"We have managed before you, you know," Sora added with a smile, "I can also cook, as long as I'm not late like I was today."

"But that's the thing," Yamato butted in, "we were both late on the same day."

"And we survived," Jou pointed out, "if worse comes to worst, we can just have snacks until one of you gets back. It's really not the end of the world."

"I suppose," Yamato admitted, "but I'm still sorry. I should have let you know in advance."

"Well, it would be nice if you did," Sora said, "but you can't always know these things in advance." She laughed. "I didn't even know I'd be late today, so I'm in the same situation."

"See?" Jou asked, placing a warm hand on Yamato's shoulder. "You don't have to earn your place in this house or anything like that."

"Right," Yamato said, though still slightly uncertain.

"Exactly," Sora said, moving to give Yamato a light hug. "All we expect from you is for you to be happy. And to finish your schooling," she finished with a wink.

Jou gave a yawn, moving his hand from Yamato's shoulder to Sora's. "Bedtime?" He asked them.

Both gave nods in response, wishing the others a 'good night.'

Yamato made his way to the bathroom, stalling for time. He really wasn't eager to be near Taichi right now. He had, for a brief second, contemplated sleeping on the couch, but then promptly remembered that they didn't have one.

Yamato spent an extra minute brushing his teeth and an extra minute washing his face. He spent the next minute staring at the mirror, cursing himself for not having a longer before-bed routine.

With a defeated sigh, Yamato walked out of the bathroom and through the door on the other side of the hallway. Maybe Taichi was already asleep.

"What took you so long?"

No such luck, apparently.

Yamato released a long breath and walked over to the bed, climbing in. He kept his back to Taichi. "Just talking to Jou and Sora."

"They went up a while ago," Taichi pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I was thinking about what they said."

"And trying to avoid me?"

"A bit."

"Harsh."

"You were the one that said it." Yamato's tone held a hint of amusement.

"True." Taichi shifted. "You'll fall off the bed if you don't come a bit further back. I promise I won't bother you in the middle of the night."

Yamato moved back a centimetre.

Taichi rolled his eyes. "Really?" He moved back so that he was touching the wall. "Come on, I want to get some sleep. We both have to be up tomorrow morning and I don't want to be waking up in the middle of the night to you falling out of bed. Properly now."

Unknowingly Yamato mirrored Taichi's eye-roll. He moved to his usual spot and felt Taichi move away from the wall.

"That's better," Taichi said, snuggling into the mattress. He kept his distance from Yamato, though.

It took both men longer than usual to fall asleep.

-o-o-o-

Yamato groaned as his alarm sounded the next morning. He shifted enough to reach the floor and turn it off, but, for once, he didn't get out of bed immediately. Next to him, Taichi turned from facing the wall to onto his back, having woken up to the alarm, too.

Sluggishly, Yamato dragged his body out of bed and into the bathroom, hoping that splashing his face with cold water would help. It didn't.

Taichi was in the kitchen when Yamato walked in, looking just as tired as the blond felt.

"Coffee." Was all Taichi said as he walked past Yamato and into the bathroom.

With a thankful nod that Taichi missed, Yamato poured himself a mug of the black drink. He took a whiff and already felt a bit better.

It was raining outside, Yamato noted, as he leaned against the counter and looked out the kitchen window. Dreary, grey clouds hung low and it didn't seem like it would clear up all day. Did they have umbrellas in the house?

Yamato sipped his coffee, staring at the raindrops sliding down the glass.

"You'll be kinda wet by the time you get to school," Taichi stated as he walked back into the kitchen rubbing his hair dry with a towel.

"We don't have umbrellas?" Yamato asked, wondering where the time had gone and when he had finished his drink. He gave his mug a quick rinse and stuck it into the cupboard.

"Nope. Well, we have _one_ , but it's not very good at keeping the rain at bay. We haven't really bothered with umbrellas, since we have some rain ponchos—you know, the flimsy, cheap ones."

"Oh, well I suppose that's actually kind of better than an umbrella."

"Yeah, they tend to be, especially if it's windy."

An awkward silence followed. Neither had forgotten about their argument last night.

Taichi said 'hey' at the same time Yamato said 'listen.' Both paused for yet another awkward silence.

"Taichi, you're going to be late if you don't get going now," Jou announced, rushing into the kitchen, throwing rain ponchos left and right—one for Taichi and one for Yamato. Then he grabbed his mug from the cupboard and poured himself a coffee. He turned to lean on the counter where Yamato had been not two minutes ago. He regarded Yamato. "You might want to reserve a bit more time for walking to school, on account of the rain."

Yamato nodded and turned abruptly, walking back to his and Taichi's room. He could hear Jou scolding Taichi again, who apparently took heed and dashed into the room, throwing on some clothes; he had to change into his uniform at work, so it didn't much matter what he wore on the way there.

Taichi paused at the door on his way out, gripping at the doorframe, his back to the room and Yamato. "We'll talk later." With that, he was off, accidentally slamming the front door, hard, in his hurry.

With a heavy sigh, Yamato changed into his school uniform and grabbed his book bag. He didn't have much reason to loiter around at home, so he might as well head to school.

A bit over half an hour later, Yamato was at school, swapping his soaking outdoor shoes for his indoor ones. He also had a change of socks, so he wouldn't freeze to death during his first class.

"Good morning, Yamato! You're here early."

Yamato froze, but not from the post-rain coldness that was starting to set in.

Yamato cleared his throat gently and turned. "Good morning, Daisuke."

"Miserable weather, isn't it?" Daisuke shoved his shoes into his locker, a few lockers to the right and down from Yamato's. "Well, I do suppose it _is_ already October. So it should rain by now, shouldn't it? Doesn't mean I have to like it. Good thing we got through September without rain, isn't it?"

Yamato didn't think Daisuke was expecting an answer to any of his questions, so he chose to change the topic: "How come you're here so early?"

"Oh, my sis left for her classes this morning and gave me a lift so I wouldn't have to walk in the rain, but she had to be at uni earlier, so I'm here early."

"Right."

The two stood at the shoe lockers a bit awkwardly for a few moments, looking anywhere but at each other.

Daisuke cleared his throat at which Yamato stiffened slightly.

"Um," Daisuke started, "about yesterday…" He scratched the back of his head nervously. "We should probably move somewhere a bit more private."

Yamato glanced at the students filing in through the doors behind Daisuke. He nodded and the two started towards a more secluded section of the school.

"Hey guys!" A female voice called out and the two males turned to see Miyako running their way, waving exuberantly. "What's up?" She asked, flinging her arms about both their shoulders.

Daisuke lifted her hand gently from his shoulders. "Actually." He threw a quick glance Yamato's way. "We were kind of hoping for a more private chat. So if you don't mind…"

Miyako gave him a weird look. It wasn't his style to be so smooth about these kinds of things; normally, he would have snapped at Miyako to leave. That would have started a spat.

"Sure," Miyako replied, flashing a smile and turning around to walk back the way she'd come. That left the two boys alone in the corridor.

"Would you be my boyfriend?" Daisuke blurted out. "Sorry," he continued at Yamato's shocked look. "But I just wanted to get that out before we're interrupted by something else cliché like the bell or a teacher, you know? I know it's kinda sudden, but I've liked you for a while and, yeah… I don't know how you feel—you're pretty good at not letting anything show, so I have no idea, but after last night… Well, I was kinda hoping you, you know, that you'd return those feelings..? Or, at least, you know, give it a try or something? Maybe?"

"I…" Yamato paused, half-hoping that the bell would indeed ring. It didn't; they were too early today. He licked his lips and noticed how Daisuke's eyes caught the movement. His tongue retreated into his mouth. "I—" He looked into Daisuke's hopeful brown eyes before closing his own briefly. "Yeah, sure, why not?" He smiled at Daisuke, who had the biggest grin on his face.

"Really?"

Yamato felt his own smile grow at seeing his friend so happy. "Yeah, sure."

"Really, really?"

This time Yamato actually laughed. "Yes, really."

Daisuke reached over to grab Yamato's hands in his. "You honestly mean that? You'll really be my boyfriend?"

Yamato flinched slightly. Right. Boyfriend. He had been so intent on making Daisuke happy that he had kind of lost sight of what their conversation was about.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me," Daisuke announced, not waiting for a response from Yamato. Then he leaned in and pecked Yamato on the lips. "Thank you."

Only then did the bell ring. Daisuke flashed Yamato a grin before dashing off towards his first class. Yamato started the trudge towards his own classroom. Had he done the right thing?

Yamato sat down in his seat, staring at the wooden table. Was he okay with being Daisuke's boyfriend? Daisuke was clearly happy, but was Yamato? Not that there was any going back now; Yamato couldn't hurt Daisuke like that...

The teacher walked in and Yamato stood and bowed on autopilot. He sat back down with his thoughts.

He didn't like Daisuke like that. Could he start? Was it possible to fall in love with someone after starting a relationship with them?

Yes, of course it was _possible_.

But did Yamato want to do that?

The answer to that wasn't as obvious. Sure, Daisuke was great. Last night had been... It had been a new side of Daisuke. A side that Yamato had known was there, but had never seen before.

Daisuke _was_ great. He would make a great boyfriend. But...

Yamato let out a sigh and allowed his thoughts to fixate on the one thought—the one name—he had been trying to avoid throughout this internal debate: Taichi.

Yamato had a crush on Taichi, which is why it felt so wrong to say 'yes' to Daisuke.

There.

Yamato felt his posture straighten. He had admitted it. Finally. He allowed a small smile to appear on his face. He felt lighter. He had finally admitted it to himself! It was a relief. Yamato almost let out a laugh at how free he now felt. Like the world had somehow righted itself with that one thought.

Yamato managed to pay attention for the rest of the class.

It wasn't until the 10-minute break between classes that Yamato remembered his dilemma: he had agreed to be Daisuke's boyfriend. And he liked Taichi. Shit. It didn't take a fortune teller to know that this was not going to end well.

Yamato walked over to the window and stared out at the courtyard. He let his forehead hit the glass, causing a few of his fellow classmates to stare at him. He ignored them.

Suddenly, Yamato's head snapped up.

Taichi was straight.

Taichi would never feel the same way and Yamato should just forget about his stupid crush on the man he shared a bed with—and _that_ was going to be awkward to explain if Daisuke ever found out...

'If Daisuke ever found out.'

Great.

Yamato closed his eyes and lightly headbutted the windowpane again.

Just great. Their relationship hadn't really even started yet and Yamato was already planning on keeping secrets from Daisuke. Keeping a big secret from him.

Yamato ran both hands over his face and trudged back to his seat. He pulled out the notebook for his next class and turned to the last page. He grabbed his pen. He needed to jot down notes. He couldn't keep everything in his head at the same time. He needed to organise his thoughts and see them all before he could sort through them.

So, Taichi. Yamato wrote the name down. He didn't elaborate in case someone saw the notes.

And Daisuke. Whom Yamato couldn't hurt by rejecting him only a few hours after agreeing to date him. Yamato wrote the second name on the same line as Taichi's, only on the other half of the page. Was he really going to do a comparison?

The bell rang, signalling the start of the second class of the day. Yamato flipped his notebook back to the class notes page. Again, he stood and bowed with the rest of the class as the teacher walked in.

-o-

"Hi, Yamato!" Daisuke called as he walked with Miyako to the table Yamato was sitting at for lunch.

Miyako sat down next to Yamato, leaving Daisuke the seat across from the blond. "Did you two fight or something? Daisuke's been more, like, excitable than normal and he refuses to tell me why and I figured it was the talk you two had this morning. Did you two have a fight and now make up?"

Yamato threw a quick look at Daisuke, but the other male was focussing on his food. He looked a bit more tense than usual, which made Yamato suspect he was listening in on Yamato's answer.

"Uh, no, we didn't have a fight..." Yamato said, eyes still keenly on Daisuke.

"Then what was it?" Miyako prompted Yamato, digging into her own food. "I know your existence as a person and what you, like, do or say has a big impact on Daisuke and what he does or says, or, like, his mood. So I know it has something to do with you and I can't think of anything except from you two making up after a fight or something like that." Miyako paused to slurp on her noodles. "Apart from that, the other option would be something like you agreeing to let Daisuke come over, but I figured it can't be that because of your mother, so it has to be you going round to his place or you finally agreeing to spend massive amounts of time with him."

Yamato quickly slurped down some of his noodles. How would he reply to that? Although, the look on Miyako's face told him he didn't have to.

"Aha! So you have agreed to spend limitless time with him, like with no time constraints on your time to—" she suddenly stopped, eyes widening, flicking from one male to the other. "You two haven't..." Her mouth was hanging open as she looked from Daisuke's barely-contained grin to Yamato's red face. She let out a squeal, covering her mouth quickly to try and contain it. "Ohmigodohmigod, are you two serious?!" She was still looking from one to the other, though fixated on Daisuke as his eyes lifted to hers. "You two are together?" Miyako half-whispered, half-squealed.

Daisuke's eyes flew briefly to Yamato, who was still staring at his lunch, now red to the tips of his ears.

Daisuke licked his lips. "Yeah," he admitted and Miyako squealed again, reaching over to give Yamato a one-arm hug.

"Ohmigod, I'm so happy for you two!" She gave a super-hard squeeze and Yamato was left to wonder whether she worked out or if excitement just gave her superpowers.

After lunch was over and Miyako was done bombarding the new couple with questions, Daisuke pulled Yamato aside.

"Listen, I'm sorry for telling her and answering her questions without checking with you first."

"That's alright, Daisuke," Yamato reassured, "she was bound to find out soon anyway and she is our friend. It's alright."

"You sure? You didn't seem okay with it a while ago..."

"I'm fine with it," Yamato reiterated, "you know me, I get embarrassed easily and don't talk a lot anyway. And I figured you could take one for the team and answer all of her questions." Yamato smirked and Daisuke laughed.

"Alright, I'll handle Miyako for today, but you owe me."

"I do," Yamato agreed.

Daisuke looked over their surroundings then leaned in to steal a kiss. "We're even now." Then he was off before Yamato could reply.

Yamato just smiled and shook his head as he made his way back to his classroom.

-o-o-o-

The house was oddly quiet when Yamato walked in after school. Hikari and Koushiro should be upstairs, but no one else seemed to be in. Taichi hadn't picked him up from school and Yamato figured that meant they were still fighting.

With a sigh, Yamato toed off his wet shoes and walked towards his and Taichi's room. He needed to change his clothes, then start cooking. Now that he was Daisuke's boyfriend, he might not be home after school every day; the others would need leftovers in the freezer.

Yamato paused at the closed door.

He had spent the whole day occasionally jotting down notes about Daisuke and Taichi. 'Pros and cons' wasn't exactly the right term; he wasn't comparing the two as potential boyfriends. Taichi would never be his boyfriend.

Yamato squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. There was no need to feel depressed about his and Taichi's current relationship. And what it would never be. He had already come to the decision that he would ignore his own feelings and continue to date Daisuke.

With a steadying breath, Yamato shoved thoughts of Taichi to the back of his mind and proceeded to, finally, change his damp clothes.

"Taichi!" Yamato took a sharp step back as he spotted the brunet in their room, sitting in the patio chair at the desk, holding a piece of paper.

Taichi stood and shoved the paper into the drawer.

Yamato cleared his throat and walked further into the room, fishing out a fresh set of clothes. "I didn't think anyone was home," Yamato muttered as he removed his damp blazer. "Why didn't you say anything?"

" _You_ didn't," Taichi pointed out, "how was I supposed to know you came home?"

Taichi's tone had held the hidden message of: 'how was I supposed to know you weren't out with your boyfriend?' Not that Taichi knew Daisuke was _actually_ Yamato's boyfriend now, but that was beside the point. Yamato cleared his throat again and chose to change the subject anyway:

"So how was work? You weren't late, were you?"

Taichi seemed to realise that he had been slightly snappy and took a deep breath. "Sorry."

There was a pregnant pause and Yamato awkwardly finished getting changed.

"We needed to talk," Taichi reminded, though he had been the one to propose it in the morning.

"Yeah."

Taichi let out a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I still don't know what your problem is, to be completely honest."

Yamato gritted his teeth, but he didn't want to start yet another argument when they had yet to resolve the previous one. "My problem is that I don't know where I stand with you. With everyone." Saying it out loud calmed Yamato more than he had expected.

Taichi cocked his head. "What does that mean? Where do you want to stand? And where do you currently stand?"

"That's the thing: I don't know!" Yamato could feel his anger rising again, but he forced his voice calmer. "I don't know where I stand in terms of whether I'm wanted living here or if you want me to go back to my brother's or find somewhere new."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Yamato sat on the bed, staring at his hands in his lap. He felt Taichi sit down next to him.

"I kind of now see what you mean," Taichi started, "I mean, I haven't exactly given a direct opinion on the matter. But I'm not going to."

Yamato's head snapped up at that. Taichi met his shocked face with seriousness.

"I don't want to influence any of your choices with my opinions or anything of the sort. _You_ need to decide what you want and what's best for you." Taichi stood and looked down at Yamato, whose eyes had followed his movements. "You're more than welcome to stay here and you _are_ wanted here, but don't feel obligated to stay if you don't want to." Taichi chuckled. "Sorry, I'm doing it again. But now you know why."

"Yeah," Yamato repeated, also standing and walking past Taichi to the door. "Thanks for... Well, yeah. And... sorry."

Taichi smiled and slapped a hand on Yamato's shoulder. "I'm sorry, too. And I'll also stop calling that friend of yours your boyfriend."

Yamato didn't correct Taichi about that.

"Now come on, I'm starting to get hungry."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for taking so long. Actually had this written last week, but getting round to proofreading it took some effort.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Yamato felt like a bad boyfriend. He had Daisuke had been together for two weeks, but they had yet to go on a single date—Yamato's fault, as he was always 'too busy' to hang out after school.

Yamato sighed as he stirred the soup he was preparing for dinner. October was coming to an end, bringing with it the chill of fall, so hearty soup was on the menu. Plus, there was enough for a few days, which meant that Yamato could make time for Daisuke.

The ladle made a dull clang-sound against the pot as Yamato released the handle. He was scared. Scared of going on a first date with Daisuke; it would mean committing to the relationship and Yamato didn't know whether he was ready for that.

"Almost done?"

Yamato jumped at the voice by his ear.

"Sorry," Taichi laughed, stepping back and giving Yamato his personal space back. "So, almost done? I'm hungry."

"Yeah, almost."

Taichi glanced behind him, scanning the hallway and living room. Perfect, no one was around.

"I've been thinking," Taichi started, "you should probably keep in touch with your brother. Takeru, right?"

"No."

Taichi's eyes widened. "Really? I was so sure I got his name right…" He frowned, trying to recall another name.

A stifled chuckle came from Yamato's general direction and the blond turned away from the soup. "That's not what I meant; his name _is_ Takeru, yes, but I can't stay in touch with him. It wouldn't be good for either of us."

"Why not? You're his brother and he's the only family you have left you can tolerate – as far as I know. You should maintain some kind of connection with him. Invite him over some time for dinner. Even if it's just once every two months or something."

"Why?"

"He's your family and I'm sure he wants to know how you're doing. You'll only worry him unnecessarily by keeping him in the dark about your life. Just let him in a few times and he won't bother you without your permission or pull a stunt like last time, skipping school just to see you."

Yamato paused, leaning against the stove. Taichi let him think in peace, moving to pull out bowls from one of the cupboards.

"Well, I suppose I could. Maybe," Yamato started carefully and moved the soup pot off the hob. "I'll go call the others down." Yamato walked to the bottom of the stairs, took in a breath, and hollered: "fooood!"

The response was instantaneous; six pairs of feet pounded on the floors, doors opened and closed, and chatter could be heard before Yamato saw the first pair of feet.

"Smells good," Hikari announced, the first down. She followed Yamato to the kitchen, leading the rest of the upstairs pack behind her.

"Meiko and I were talking," Mimi said as she grabbed a bowl from the kitchen counter where Taichi had put them, "and we have an announcement once everyone is seated."

"If it has anything to do with Halloween, I don't want to hear it," Jou mumbled, ladling soup into his bowl.

"Oh, don't be the Scrooge of Halloween," Sora playfully chastised.

Mimi pouted, "it is about Halloween." She cheered up. "But it's nothing extreme; just some movies and Halloween-y food. Costumes are a bit pointless since it'll just be us. Yamato," she turned her attention to the blond, "you can make Halloween-themed food, right?"

"Depends on what that means."

Everyone gathered on the floor of the living room, bowls full of steaming soup.

"Orange and purple foods," Mimi shrugged, "or things in the shape of bats or pumpkins—or pumpkin foods in general!"

Yamato stared at Mimi, then shifted his focus to his bowl. "Sounds do-able. And pumpkins are in season now."

"Cool," Mimi nodded.

"So when did you plan on having this party? Halloween's on Tuesday," Jou said.

Yamato's eyes shot to Mimi. It hadn't occurred to him at all that this Halloween 'party' they would be having might interfere with his unplanned plans with Daisuke.

"Well," Mimi answered without missing a beat, "we were thinking of this coming Friday. We can stay up late to watch horror movies and no one has to get up early for work. Or school," she added, casting a quick glance at Yamato.

Sora frowned at Mimi. "Don't you work Friday nights until midnight?"

"Someone else wanted my shift – or, rather, they didn't want to work the Halloween shift, so I'm working Tuesday instead."

"Well that works out, then," Sora smiled, "let's do it."

"Can I pick the movies?" Taichi spoke up for, surprisingly, the first time since talk about the party had started. His soup bowl was empty, though, unlike most others'.

"Sure," Mimi grinned.

"Just remember to pick out something that Hikari and Koushiro can watch, too," Sora reminded sternly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll pick out some milder ones that we can start off with. Then we send the kiddies to bed." Taichi winked at his sister.

"Whatever," Hikari said, finishing up her soup quickly to catch up to Koushiro, who was surprisingly done eating.

"There's still a lot of soup left over," Sora noted to Yamato, ignoring the siblings' banter.

"Ah, yeah, I was thinking of maybe hanging out with some friends after school tomorrow or Tuesday, so I thought I'd make something in advance."

"That's great," Sora smiled encouragingly, "you honestly don't have to feel bad if you can't be here to cook every day after school. It's important to maintain social contacts outside of us, too, you know."

Yamato gave her a small smile, "thanks."

-o-o-o-

"Hey, Daisuke," Yamato started at lunch break on Monday, "I was thinking… Do you want to maybe do something after school? Maybe—"

"I was just thinking the same at the weekend!" Daisuke cut in, "I was thinking that, since it's Halloween tomorrow, we should go see a scary movie at the cinema. Sound alright? Grab a bite to eat before?"

Yamato nodded, a knot in his chest easing at the affirmative answer. He didn't know why he had been so worried about asking Daisuke for a date – they _were_ dating, after all, so it's not like the other teen would say 'no.'

Although… What was with all the scary movies? Sure, it was Halloween and scary movies were part of the tradition, but still…

"Yamato? Hellooo?"

Yamato snapped back to the reality of worried, mahogany eyes staring at him. "Ah, sorry," Yamato plastered on a smile, "that sounds perfect."

The grin that overcame Daisuke's face looked cartoonishly large and made Yamato laugh. "Amazing," Daisuke replied with an oddly gentle tone.

-o-

The next day, Yamato had to wait for Daisuke by the shoe lockers; according to Miyako, the other boy was being lectured by the teacher for handing in a crumpled and dirty homework sheet.

"Ugh," Daisuke complained as he neared Yamato, "at least I _did_ the homework." He shook his head, then grinned apologetically at Yamato. "Sorry for making you wait." He opened his locker and changed his shoes.

"It's fine, it's not like we don't have time. The movie won't start until seven."

"True, but we still have to stop by my place. You did bring a change of clothes, right?" Daisuke started leading the way out of the school building.

"You told me to; of course I did."

"Right," Daisuke grinned, his tone gently mocking, "of course you did."

Yamato shoved Daisuke playfully.

"Seriously, though," Daisuke continued, turning right. "If you hadn't remembered, you could've borrowed my clothes." His eyes shone with amusement, but there was also a caring warmth hidden in them. "I might have preferred having you walk around in my clothes."

"Shut it." Yamato's face reddened. "Besides, you're broader than me and I'm taller than you, so your clothes wouldn't fit me too well." _Unlike Taichi's._ Yamato's mind added traitorously and Yamato mentally beat himself over the head with a brick. God he was a jerk.

"Here we are," Daisuke announced as they neared an apartment block, "we should kind of hurry up, though, since I wanted to take you to this nicer food place."

Unbidden, Yamato's foot scuffed the ground. " _Nicer?_ "

"Yeah, well," Daisuke shrugged, looking anywhere but at Yamato. "I kind of wanted to do something fancier than normal hanging out, since this is our first date and I want to make it more special."

"Oh." Now Yamato felt like even more of a jerk. He had just thought of their 'date' as them casually hanging out. He hadn't even considered that Daisuke would want to make this a special memory. He hadn't even grabbed anything special to wear. "How fancy is 'nicer?' I didn't grab anything special to wear, since no one will see it in the cinema anyway."

"Nah, don't worry, it's not a Michelin star restaurant or anything, but it's not a burger joint either. Casual clothes will do. I won't be wearing anything that special and I would have told you if you'd need to suit up or something."

Yamato smiled, "right, thanks."

Daisuke smiled in return and let them both into his apartment. No one else was home and the two boys made quick work of getting changed.

While changing, Yamato reflected on his own, not behaviour per se, but his thoughts regarding Daisuke and Taichi. Daisuke was great. He was kind and thoughtful and he was fun to be around and he really truly cared about Yamato. Why couldn't Yamato care about him like that, as well?

"Ready?" Daisuke knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yeah," Yamato plastered on a smile and told himself to fake his excitement until he was genuinely excited about the upcoming—or already started?—date.

Daisuke ended up taking him to a cute bistro that was on the way to the cinema. It was quite new so it looked even fancier than it actually was. The food was attempting to be French, but you could detect a hint of something Japanese in the meals. It was really nothing fancy, but it was cute that Daisuke had gone for something different.

Stomachs full, Daisuke and Yamato made their way to the cinema, queuing up for tickets to see Saw III.

"Shit," Daisuke murmured, reading the notice by the queue.

"What's wrong?" Yamato asked, though he was slightly distracted by the bloody cosplayers and creepy posters of a red-cheeked mask.

"This thing's rated 18 plus! What the hell? The others were 15!" Daisuke turned to Yamato, who was staring back. Daisuke scrunched up his nose. "I hope they don't ask for ID; you're not 18 yet, are you?"

Yamato shook his head. "March."

"Yeah, and I'm not for a few months…"

Despite the creepy atmosphere, Yamato couldn't help but smile; Daisuke's scrunched up face was cute.

"We could watch something else?" Yamato offered, not keen at all about going to see one of the Saw movies. Thus far he had managed to avoid seeing the other two. He hoped the director would have the sense to stop at a trilogy.

"But it's Halloween," Daisuke pouted, "we can try and if they don't sell us tickets, then we'll pick out something else."

"..sure."

As it turns out, Saw III was sold out, so the teens had to settle for Death Note 2, which wasn't too bad in Yamato's opinion. Or at least it was a better choice than Saw III.

After the movie, Yamato had walked Daisuke home and the two had ended up kissing again in the narrow space between two apartment buildings. Daisuke had practically skipped up the steps to his floor, whilst Yamato had headed home with a heavy heart.

Yamato's hands were shoved deep into his pockets and his feet felt heavier than normal. How was it so hard to be happy with Daisuke? Why did it feel like he was cheating on someone? Yamato forced the T-word to the back of his mind. He couldn't let himself keep thinking that name.

Upon reaching home, Yamato tiptoed inside. It was past ten at night and he also didn't want to talk to anyone. He had way too much on his mind right now.

"Oh, you're back."

Yamato froze at the door to his and Taichi's bedroom. Why had it not crossed his mind that Taichi would be awake and in _their_ bedroom? He really needed to get a grip on reality.

"Yamato? Hellooo?"

Yamato snapped back to reality, Taichi's brown eyes staring at him in worry.

"Sorry," Yamato mumbled, walking into the room and starting to change for bed. "I'm just a bit tired." He forced a smile. "I forgot how tiring hanging out with my friends was."

Taichi grinned and gave a bark of laughter. "I totally get you; I've been told I'm tiring to hang out with." Taichi hesitated for a second, but then grinned and headed for the door. "I'm gonna let you get some rest; it's a school day tomorrow and all. I have some stuff to do, but I'll stick to the living room." He walked out, but then doubled back. "Sorry in advance for disturbing you when I come to bed."

Yamato smiled tiredly, "don't worry 'bout it."

-o-o-o-

"You didn't have to come do the dishes, you know," Sora kindly admonished, as she walked into the kitchen. "We could've done them tomorrow."

"It's alright," Yamato replied, scrubbing at some dried pumpkin mash that was stuck on the side of its pot. "I've already seen that film; I know what happens at the end."

"Hnh." Sora joined Yamato at the sink and grabbed a towel to start drying. "It's not like Scary Movie is really that scary, anyway."

"Yeah… Though Hikari and Koushiro shouldn't be allowed to watch it, no matter how not-scary it is."

"True, but they're used to more mature topics than most kids their age. And it's all in good humour since they're with us."

"I suppose…"

Sora bit back a chuckle. "I'm guessing your father was strict about age restrictions in movies."

"Not exactly…" Yamato scrubbed harder at the pot in the sink. "He was pretty liberal about raising me, but…" Yamato made a noncommittal motion.

"You two coming back?"

Sora and Yamato turned around to see Taichi peeking round the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room.

"Hikari and Koushiro have headed to bed – or to their room, at least – so we're starting to watch the other movies. You coming?"

"Yeah," Sora smiled, "we're almost done here."

"Good, you wouldn't want to miss the first proper scare." Taichi winked as he pulled his head out of the kitchen.

"Guess we should go," Sora said as she laid the towel out on the kitchen counter and put the remaining pots and bowls on top of it to drip-dry.

"I guess," Yamato repeated, drying his hands off on his trousers. He then followed Sora to the living room and sat further in the back, next to Taichi.

"We all ready?" Mimi called from by the laptop. She had managed to borrow a laptop and projector from work and one of their living room walls served as the movie screen.

Taichi leaned over to whisper into Yamato's ear, "have you seen the Saw films? There's a third one out now, which I'd love to see, but I'll wait until it comes out on DVD or something."

Yamato shook his head, a lump in his throat making him think he wouldn't get the words out.

Taichi's eyes lit up as he grinned. "They're really good. Technically, Hikari and Koushiro could've watched them – they're only rated 15- but they're more psychological torture, which probably would give them nightmares. Or further some trauma."

"I see…"

"Shhh!" Taichi turned towards the screen excitedly. "It's starting; watch the beginning, it's important. See, these guys we see here—"

"Taichi, shhh!" Mimi hushed.

Yamato rolled his eyes as Taichi pouted and turned his attention to the screen. A blueish light was shining on different parts of a man's face. Chills began to creep up Yamato's spine. The man was clearly underwater. Was he already dead? Yamato flinched as the man gasped and opened his eyes, the blue light illuminating his whole face. There was a scuffle as the light fell into the tub and down the drain. The man climbed out of the tub. Why didn't he turn on the lights? Why didn't anyone in scary movies ever turn on the lights?

The deep voice that came from the speakers Mimi had borrowed sent chills crawling up Yamato's spine. An enemy?

Finally the lights were on! But why was the guy taking so long to adjust to the light? Find the door, goddammit!

Shit! A body! A bloody, decaying human body. Unwittingly, Yamato's face scrunched I distaste.

Aaand, shit, they were chained to the pipes. In a room with a dead body. Yamato's fists clenched in his lap and his shoulders tensed. Why was that guy freaking out so much over a dead body? He should really stop. Good thing the doctor in the room was more sensible. Yamato swallowed forcibly.

As Yamato watched on, chills started running up and down his spine. The newness of the clock unnerved him. He remembered Taichi mentioning that it was a psychological horror film. Crap.

As the two men on screen started working on getting the cassette player out of the dead man's hand, Yamato started to relax. This movie wasn't too bad now that there was a clear goal and the two were working together.

Success! One of them had the player.

The chills returned as soon as the creepy voice started playing and the tension returned when the man refused to trust the doctor. Yamato bit his lip. They'd do so much better by working together!

The one thing Yamato was glad about was that the movie wasn't a jump-scare one. He hated those; he could never pretend not to be scared when something took him by surprise like that.

At some point, Taichi had taken note of Yamato's uneasiness and helped him save face. Despite what Yamato had previously thought, there were a few jump-scare scenes in the film. Ones during which he would have screamed out loud – or made some equally embarrassing noise- had it not been for Taichi telling him to close his eyes.

By the time the first Saw film was over, Yamato had grown incredibly paranoid. No wonder Koushiro and Hikari hadn't been allowed to stay up to watch these films. Films. Film _sss_. There were two. Shit. Yamato squeezed his eyes shut and grit his teeth. Did he honestly have to sit through another one of those?

Taichi, as though having read his thoughts, leaned over and whispered: "you can go to bed already, if you want. No one will mind."

Yamato started to nod, but stopped himself. Would he be alright alone in the bedroom? It was just down the short corridor, but still… Alone.

With the last few seconds of hesitation, Yamato answered: "I'll stay."

A smug grin formed on Taichi's face. "I can hold your hand throughout, if you want."

"Shut up," Yamato shot back.

The opening credits started rolling on the wall of the living room and Taichi shifted slightly closer to Yamato, bumping thighs together. Yamato appreciated the silent support.

Again, Taichi helped Yamato avoid the scariest parts of the films. Yamato tried to distract himself from the screen by wondering how many times Taichi had seen the films to remember where the worst scenes were.

After what felt like eternity, the second Saw movie was over and everyone started stretching themselves out. Yamato stuck close to Taichi.

Taichi exaggerated a yawn and looked at Yamato. "I'm sooo tired; do you wanna brush our teeth at the same time so we can go to sleep sooner?"

"Wow, Taichi," Mimi teased, "you're getting old if you're complaining about it being past your bedtime."

"What can I say?" Taichi shrugged whilst throwing an arm around Yamato's shoulders. "I need my beauty sleep. Unlike some of you, who are beautiful even without sleep." He winked at the giggling Mimi and steered Yamato into the bathroom.

"… thanks." Yamato mumbled as the bathroom door closed behind the pair. He grabbed his toothbrush and paste.

Taichi smiled sadly at Yamato via the mirror. "Sorry. I should've asked you about scary movies before picking. If I'd known you didn't like them I'd have picked more kid-friendly ones and had Hikari and Koushiro watching with us throughout."

Yamato shook his head and lowered his eyes to the sink. "Don' worry," he managed with a mouthful of foam and the toothbrush.

"You know," Taichi leered, "if you're too scared to sleep, I know what'll keep you distracted _all_ night long."

The toothpaste nearly exploded out of Yamato's mouth as he spat and burst out laughing at the same time. "No thanks," he laughed.

Taichi shrugged with a grin and grabbed his own toothbrush.

Five minutes later, Yamato was attempting to get comfortable in bed, waiting for Taichi to climb in. Taichi did so and spread his arms out.

"I'll hold you, if you want. No strings attached!" He added the latter bit at Yamato's sceptical look.

With a defeated sigh, Yamato snuggled closer to Taichi and let Taichi put an arm around him. It was a better setup than some creep sneaking into their room and abducting him in the middle of the night. Well, okay, fine, Yamato liked the setup anyway. Not that he should think that, considering he has a boyfriend.

"Stop thinking and sleep."

Yamato lifted his face to look into Taichi's playfully annoyed eyes. He dug himself further into Taichi.

"Sorry."

Taichi tightened his hold and muttered, "I've got you."

Yamato felt a gentle pressure on the top of his head and felt Taichi bury his nose in his hair. Yamato let out a sigh and relaxed a bit. He felt the vibrations of Taichi chuckling.

"This takes me back to when Hikari was younger and had had nightmares."

Yamato smiled, though he made sure his voice was neutral when he answered, "I'm bigger than Hikari, though, and not even a girl."

"I know."

Silence reigned for the next few minutes whilst the two men tried to get some sleep. Yamato's mind started wandering back to the movies and a shiver travelled down his spine.

Taichi's hand started rubbing at his back. "Relax," he murmured.

Yamato pulled his face out from the safety of the soft, warm duvet. The blinds let in just enough light from outside for it to reflect in Taichi's eyes.

Suddenly their noses were brushing past each other and their lips met. It took a few seconds for Yamato to realise what was happening and pull away. Neither said anything.

Yamato spent the next minutes completely still, though relaxed. Pretending to sleep was an old trick and was very much like running away, but it always seemed to work. At least it would work until morning, when he woke up and had to think about what had just happened.

But sleep wouldn't come. Taichi had fallen asleep, easily it seemed, but Yamato's mind kept going round in circles, wondering how he'd ended up in that situation and what he would tell Daisuke, or if he would tell Daisuke at all…


End file.
